Leeds United's new signing Laurens De Bock times arrival nicely

Ayling underwent surgery on damaged ankle cartilage on Tuesday, prematurely ending his Championship campaign, but Leeds promptly strengthened their options at full-back by finalising De Bock’s £1.5m move from Club Brugge.

The signing of De Bock had been on the cards since Leeds agreed to meet his personal terms last week and the defender was put through a medical by United as right-back Ayling was going under the knife.

De Bock accepted a four-and-a-half year contract, tying him to Elland Road until 2022, after Leeds agreed to pay around a seven-figure sum for his signature.

The former Belgium Under-21 international is in line for an immediate debut at Ipswich Town this weekend with United head coach Thomas Christiansen considering how to compensate for the loss of Ayling.

Ayling was hurt in a first-half tackle with former United midfielder Liam Bridcutt during a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day and, despite initial suggestions that the injury was not serious, scans on his ankle forced Leeds to bow to an operation.

Gaetano Berardi, who has covered at left-back for much of this season, is likely to replace Ayling on the right side of defence, opening the door for De Bock to start at Portman Road on Saturday.

The Belgian defender was out of favour at Club Brugge, where he won the domestic league title in 2016, and made only a handful of appearances in the first half of this season, but United have been hamstrung by the lack of a specialist left-back since losing Charlie Taylor to Burnley last summer.

De Bock was identified as a viable option before the January transfer window opened and United stepped up their chase of him after establishing the extent of Ayling’s injury.

Ayling – a key member of Leeds’ line-up for the past 18 months – is targeting a return to full fitness in time for the beginning of pre-season in June.

The setback comes in the wake of the six-match ban imposed on Samuel Saiz by the Football Association after the Spanish playmaker was sent off for spitting during Sunday’s FA Cup defeat at Newport County. Saiz’s ban will run until the final week of February, ruling him out at a delicate stage of the term.

De Bock, meanwhile, cost Brugge around £3m from Lokeren at the age of 20 in 2013, but his chances in their first team dried up this season after a change of formation under coach Ivan Leko.

Christiansen, in contrast, is likely to make heavy use of him in the second half of United’s Championship season and the signing of De Bock could lead the club to cancel Cameron Borthwick-Jackson’s loan from Manchester United.

Borthwick-Jackson has struggled to make an impact at Elland Road since signing in August and the 20-year-old failed to impress on a rare chance at Newport.

De Bock’s arrival will limit his opportunities further and United look likely to send him back to Old Trafford early.

It would be the second time in two years that Borthwick-Jackson has seen a loan cut short ahead of schedule after Wolverhampton Wanderers terminated a season-long move from Manchester United last January.