Luke Ayling has all but certainly played his final game for Leeds United but could have a big say in the automatic promotion race for Middlesbrough this weekend.
Ayling departed Elland Road for Boro on loan in January but is highly unlikely to be returning to Leeds with his contract expiring in the summer.
Alongside Liam Cooper and the now retired Stuart Dallas, Ayling will not be offered a new deal at the end of the season, which will bring to an end a special era given what all three have given the club.
The 32-year-old has impressed at Boro and does still have faint hopes of finishing in the play-off spots this season, though that would require a serious run of form in the last four matches, and results to go their way.
One of Boro’s games is actually against Leeds but both Ayling and Sam Greenwood will be ineligible to face their parent club, which should benefit Daniel Farke’s side.
Ayling could do Leeds a final big favour on Saturday
The automatic promotion race took another fresh twist this week as Leeds, Leicester City and Ipswich Town all failed to win their matches.
Both Leeds and Ipswich were held to 0-0 draws by mid-table outfits Sunderland and Watford, while Leicester were beaten by a relegation threatened and out-of-form Millwall.
Clearly all three sides are now feeling the nerves of the battle but you would expect that to be put right this weekend. Leicester are in action first at Plymouth Argyle on Friday, before Leeds then host Blackburn Rovers in the early game on Saturday.
If both were to win, that would seriously put the pressure on Ipswich ahead of their game at home to Middlesbrough, with Ayling and Greenwood likely to be in the starting XI if recent team selections are anything to go by.
Ayling said it was his dream last summer to get Leeds promoted in front of supporters and he could go a long way to doing that by beating Ipswich on Saturday, even if he has played his last game in a white shirt.
Is there any chance of Ayling returning to Leeds?
Given the way the announcement was made upon leaving on loan, it would appear highly unlikely there is any chance of Ayling returning.
It feels like the club are trying to turn over a new chapter by allowing all of Ayling, Cooper and Dallas to leave in the summer, who have been so instrumental in recent seasons.
Speaking earlier this year, Patrick Bamford also all but confirmed Ayling would not be returning on his podcast for BBC.
He said: “It is a loan but when he left, he only had six months left on his Leeds contract. So technically, it is a loan but it is forever. He’s not coming back to Leeds.”