Leeds and Northern Ireland midfielder Stuart Dallas has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 32-year-old has been sidelined since April 2022 after suffering a femoral fracture against Manchester City in the Premier League and in a statement confirming his retirement, Dallas revealed his knee has sustained “irreparable damage”.

“Today, with a heavy heart, I announce that I will be retiring from professional football,” the statement read.

“Over the past two years the Leeds medical team, along with the incredible surgeons in London, have worked tirelessly to help me recover from the injury I sustained in the game against Manchester City in 2022.

“Sadly, despite their best efforts, and my body not progressing how we need it to, I must now accept the fact that my knee suffered irreparable damage and I will not be returning to play professional football.

“I am, of course, devastated by this news.”

Dallas began his career in Northern Ireland with Coagh United and Crusaders before moving to Brentford in 2012, where he helped the Bees secure promotion to the Championship.

The midfielder then moved to Leeds in August 2015 for a fee of £1.3million and went on to make 266 appearances for the Yorkshire club, scoring 28 goals.

He was an important part of the Leeds side that earned promotion to the Premier League in 2019-20 and Dallas played every top-flight fixture for the club the following season.

Dallas represented Northern Ireland 62 times, scoring three goals, and was part of the squad which reached the round of 16 at Euro 2016 in France.

In his statement, Dallas paid “special thanks” to former Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa and Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with some outstanding managers, but two in particular I want to pay special thanks to are Marcelo Bielsa and Michael O’Neill,” he added.

“Marcelo’s incredible coaching helped me improve not just as a player but as a person off the pitch, too.

“Premier League football seemed a million miles away at times, but he made this all possible. These were simply the greatest years of my career and I created memories that I’ll cherish forever.

“Michael believed in me and gave me the opportunity to represent my country on so many occasions, for which I will always be thankful.”

Leeds confirmed they are in discussions with Dallas about a “future role” and he will be presented at half-time of their Sky Bet Championship fixture against Blackburn at Elland Road on Saturday.

Everton winger Jack Harrison took advice from Frank Lampard about the importance of having an on-field ego and believes he is reaping the benefits.

The rookie professional had to pluck up the courage to knock on the experienced England international’s hotel room door when they were team-mates at New York City.

He asked about confidence and Lampard, who was sacked as Everton manager six months before Harrison arrived, spoke to him about ego and self-belief.

It is advice he has carried with him since moving back to England with Leeds and now on loan at Goodison Park.

His confidence was boosted further by his maiden Everton goal – a brilliant instinctive lob over Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto – in only his third appearance in which the wise words of Lampard probably played some part.

“I remember going to Frank’s room one time, knocking on his door asking for advice on certain mentality, how to be. I sat in his room and just chatted for half-an-hour,” said Harrison, who gained more valuable information after four seasons with Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road.

“I think having that ego and confidence on the pitch was something that maybe challenged me a little bit. It was difficult for me to bring out.

“But after talking to Frank (he said) it was something he applied to himself. When you step out on that pitch he used to tell himself he was the best player.

“It doesn’t have to be in a nasty way or anything but it’s definitely important to have.

“I was watching an interview Zlatan Ibrahimovic did where he said he felt like God when he was on the pitch. Maybe I’m not at that level but it’s nice to hear similar stories.

“When you are lining up against Mo Salah you have to do your best against them. That mentality, feeling like you belong, is a big part of it.”

Harrison’s two seasons in New York playing alongside Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Silva and managed by Patrick Vieira were formative but after being brought home by Manchester City his real development came at Leeds.

Bielsa’s methods were so intense the 26-year-old still has ‘flashbacks’.

“It was beyond anything I’d seen before,” said Harrison ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

“Because everything was so regimented and we were working so hard the three years almost flew by. I don’t think in all of that time I took a step back to really enjoy playing with him.

“Looking back now, I just wish I enjoyed it a little bit more in the moment but I’m super grateful.

“It has made me the player I am today working with him, building those foundations when I first came back to England.

“I know what the standard is. If I’m ever struggling or lose sight of where I need to be, I can always go back to that time.

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“Sometimes even on a day off I will have in the back of my mind, ‘OK, I need to do something today.’ Some of the guys here (at Everton) will say ‘Bielsa has drilled you so much’.

“It is a good kind of characteristic to have in your back pocket just in case you need it.”

For all the football input the biggest influence on his career is mum Debbie, who took him away from Liverpool’s academy when he was a six and Manchester United’s when he was 14 to send him to a United States boarding school for a better chance of success.

“Her providing me with that opportunity at the time was definitely outside the box. I was an only child and she was a single mother. I have to give all the credit to my mum,” said Harrison.

“Coming back to England I wanted to do everything I could to repay here for that, be it a house or a car or she doesn’t have to work any more.

“Going to New York and playing professionally for the first time I was really thankful to my mum because there were a lot of people saying ‘Oh why didn’t you stay at Man United?’.

“I’d always had that in the back of my mind because I’d seen the likes of Scott McTominay come up and absolutely smash it with the first team. I did think, ‘What could have happened if I’d stayed at United?’.

“But as soon as I made it to New York and saw where I was it gave me a different perspective where I was able to thrive.

“At that point I thought ‘It doesn’t matter what would have happened, this is my path now’. There’s nothing you can do about the past so you have to keep looking forward.”

Leeds were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday after a three-year stay in the top flight.

The Yorkshire club had needed to beat Tottenham on the final day and hope other results involving Everton and Leicester went their way, but they were beaten 4-1 at Elland Road.

The result meant Sam Allardyce’s side finished 19th in the table, five points behind 17th-placed Everton. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the reasons why it went wrong.

Bielsa legacy casts shadow

Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani, former director of football Victor Orta and chief executive Angus Kinnear received huge acclaim when the club ended their 16-year Premier League exile in 2020. They played a masterstroke by appointing Marcelo Bielsa as head coach in 2018 but their legacy was always going to be defined by how they filled the vacuum after sacking the Argentinian in February 2022. The board felt they had to act after a poor run of results but, since then, they have got most of their key decisions wrong and the wheels have now fallen off.

What exactly did the board get wrong?

Bielsa’s successor Jesse Marsch was hailed as a natural replacement but performances and results did not improve. Leeds survived relegation last season on the final day and when Marsch was sacked in February this year, he left the club in a worse position in the table. The board’s failed, ill-conceived bids to hire Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola and Feyenoord’s Arne Slot led to accusations of panic and, after a fans’ backlash, they also reneged on appointing former Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder. So in came Javi Gracia for his ill-fated stint. The club admitted they had erred by parachuting Allardyce into Elland Road with four league games remaining.

Can relegation be blamed solely on the managers?

No. After Leeds defied the odds to finish ninth under Bielsa in their first season back in the top flight, they have failed to sufficiently strengthen their squad. A lack of cover for an injury-prone Patrick Bamford and midfielder Tyler Adams is a prime example. It has also been an imbalanced squad with wide players in abundance but no depth in other key areas. Some signings since promotion, such as Raphinha, Adams, Luis Sinisterra and Willy Gnonto, have been a success, but too many others have failed to make an impact, while the arrival of club-record signing Georginio Rutter has left fans scratching their heads.

Has the ownership issue muddied the waters?

The last-ditch appointment of Allardyce was symptomatic of Leeds’ mis-management and of a club in limbo since the investment arm of San Francisco 49ers increased its stake to 44 per cent at the end of 2021. 49ers Enterprises has an option to own 100 percent by January next year and the ownership issue has not helped decision-making. Orta’s resignation in protest over Gracia’s sacking has left Leeds without a director of football and, if Allardyce departs as expected, they will be without a long-term head coach. How relegation will affect the takeover remains to be seen, while Radrizzani has been linked with a move to buy Sampdoria. The club’s future direction is not clear.