Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling is expected to remain at Elland Road until the end of this season, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Ayling struggling for minutes

The 31-year-old has been a wonderful servant for the Whites, making 228 appearances in total and helping them return to the Premier League back in 2020.

Playing time has become increasingly limited for Ayling, however, and he has only managed one start in the Premier League so far this season, falling down the right-back pecking order.

The Englishman's current Leeds deal expires next summer, meaning they could cash in on him during the January transfer window with clubs thought to be interested.

The Latest: Expected to stay until the summer

Speaking to Give Me Sport, however, Jones hinted that Ayling would see out his current deal before moving on:

"I get the feeling that Ayling will end up staying around, and will stay until the end of the season and figure things out then."

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-copy/" title="Latest Leeds United updates" poster="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: Time to move on

While it makes sense to keep Ayling until the summer, in terms of squad depth for Jesse Marsch, next summer is the right time for him to move on.

At 31, he has many miles in his legs and isn't the force he was a few years ago, and in Rasmus Kristensen, Leeds have someone who will continue to keep him out of the team.

Ayling will go down as a true modern Whites hero when he leaves, though - he has been called 'superb' by journalist Amitai Winehouse - and he could still prove to be a handy figure in key matches between now and the end of the season.