Leeds United are set to receive a massive boost as their summer signing Patrick Bamford is set to be back (Yorkshire Evening Post) earlier than expected. The former Championship player of the season damaged his ACL and PCL, and initially, it was thought that he would not see any action (Daily Star) until mid-January. However, he recently played 45 minutes for the u-23 side against Newcastle United, and maybe in a few weeks, we can see him getting back to full fitness.
United were lucky in the first place that the severity of the injury wasn’t going to rule him out for the season as usually the kind of injury which the forward sustained, is season-ending. However, the Whites are set to get luckier as the forward might now make an appearance before the turn of the year.
With games set to come thick and fast and FA Cup to begin, Bielsa would be glad that his marquee signing is closing in on a return. The West Yorkshire outfit spent £7m (Sky Sports) in the summer to bring him to Elland Road. However, even when he was fit, the English forward found it hard to get into the playing eleven as Kemar Roofe was showing tremendous form.
United were unlucky that they lost both Kemar Roofe and Bamford almost at the same time as Bamford would have gotten a good run of games when Roofe was out for close to a month. In their absence, Tyler Roberts stepped up and did go on to impress, but someone more proven like Bamford would have been a more threatening option for Bielsa.
The 25-year-old was often used as a substitute and made some impressive cameos. The former Crystal Palace forward has already opened his account for the Whites as he was on the scoresheet in the Carabao Cup but is still awaiting his first goal in the Championship for Leeds United.
Bielsa’s team have been reeling with injuries of late, and he would be glad that someone like Bamford is returning earlier than usual. He is still probably a few weeks away from getting first-team action, and it remains to be seen how the player would go by as it’s never easy to make a comeback after a severe injury. Hopefully, from the Whites’ point of view, the striker can hit the ground running straight away.
Roofe currently hasn’t been able to replicate the form which he showed in the initial month, so maybe Bamford can even lay a claim to a place in the first eleven later on if he impresses in his cameos.
