Journalist Dean Jones believes that if Jesse Marsch can get Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips back playing, their chances of survival would see a massive increase.
Both Bamford and Phillips have seen lengthy periods on the sidelines this campaign, with the forward featuring just six times in the Premier League and Phillips featuring just 12 times.
Bamford was named in the matchday squad on Saturday in new boss Marsch’s first game as Leeds manager, and reports are saying that Phillips could see a return to action in midweek against Aston Villa.
It was reported that Phillips could be pushing for a place this week but Marsch has since stated that Phillips won’t be assessed until Friday.
Jones told GiveMeSport that the Whites’ chances of survival would be “increased massively” if they can get the English duo back on the field for the remainder of the season.
He said: “It would be unbelievable if they get both those two back on the pitch. Then their chances of survival are increased massively.”
TIF Thoughts on Dean Jones’ comments…
Bamford has been a major miss for Leeds this campaign after he scored 17 times in the Premier League last season, which helped his side achieve a top-10 finish in their first year back in the top flight since 2004.
Just six sides have scored fewer than Leeds’ 29 this campaign, so if they had their star man up front producing the goods as he did last term, Leeds could have seen themselves in a very different position.
With Kalvin Phillips being sidelined due to injury for such a long period this term, it has meant that the midfield has become disjointed, with the likes of Robin Koch having to play in what isn’t his natural position. Especially after the influential Euro 2020 that the 26-year-old had, Phillips could have pushed on as a player and helped his side even more so this season.
If the duo were to return, it would still be a tough task for Leeds to stay in the Premier League as they are only two points off the bottom three, and the two sides directly below them have games in hand.
But if Bamford can get back to scoring goals and Phillips can help shore things up in the midfield, anything can happen.