OPINION
Leeds striker Patrick Bamford wasn’t fit enough to play for the Leeds Under-23s today but he was spotted “in full training gear with boots on” shortly before the game.
Leeds journalist Beren Cross was reporting on the Under-23s game when he spotted Bamford walking from the training pitches to the main building at Thorp Arch.
It led Cross to say, “Can’t be that injured as it stands”.
And on that note Bamford walks past us from the training pitches and into the main building here. In full training gear with boots on. Can't be that injured as it stands… #lufc
— Beren Cross (@BerenCross) January 14, 2019
Bamford was injured in training in late December after a brief comeback from injury and the only real news was from manager Marcelo Bielsa, who said that the injury didn’t look as serious as his previous one.
We haven’t heard a return date and things have been ominously quiet regarding his return.
It’s incredible to think that Bamford still hasn’t started a league game for Leeds since his big-money move from Middlesbrough in the summer.
He could be a huge player for Leeds in the second-half of the season if he can get fit. He showed what he was capable of when he scored the only goal of the game in a 29-minute cameo appearance against Bolton – his only action since his return from injury.
Today’s spot will give Leeds fans hope that his return is close and that he could be in line for a return to the Under-23s in their next game against Southampton in the Premier League Cup next Monday.
And with Leeds clear at the top of the league, despite numerous injuries, that should get fans giddy with excitement.