Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling has been hailed by presenter Conor McGiligan for his display on Wednesday night against Manchester United.

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It was a night which Leeds fans will feel their side missed a golden opportunity to create some daylight on their relegation rivals after what was a stunning start to the game.

The Whites took an early lead and found themselves 2-0 up shortly after the break through a Raphael Varane own-goal.

Wilfried Gnonto impressed once again for the Yorkshire club and found his name on the score sheet for the opening goal of the night.

However, it was Ayling who received a lot of praise from McGilligan who was stunned by the right-back in the first half of the game at Old Trafford: “Ayling has been absolutely immense against that cheat,” McGilligan tweeted.

Presence at the back

The 31-year-old has played a big role in the Leeds side this season with 14 appearances in the Premier League now under his belt with half of those from the starting XI.

However, the veteran has been involved in what has been a massively underwhelming campaign for the Whites and he has failed to provide much of an attacking threat from the right-back spot.

Ayling has only returned one assist in the Premier League so far this season as well as grabbing another assist in the FA Cup against Cardiff City.

Per 90 minutes, Ayling has provided 1.6 shot-creating actions but it is his defensive ability which has made up for his lack of attacking intent (via Fbref).

Comparing him against other full-backs, Ayling ranks in the top two percentile for tackles per 90 minutes and the upper sixth percentile for clearances.

With an average of just over three tackles over the last year, his return of 12 tackles against the Red Devils is made to look even more impressive (via SofaScore).

And considering he gave away the ball 24 times, it just goes to show how impressive of a defensive shift he put in to earn the praise from McGilligan.