Leeds United

Leeds United: Journalist will be surprised if Patrick Bamford doesn’t start this weekend

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Image for Leeds United: Journalist will be surprised if Patrick Bamford doesn’t start this weekend

Journalist Dean Jones has admitted that he will indeed be surprised if Patrick Bamford doesn’t start for Leeds United this weekend.

Bamford has had a tough time of things over the last 12 months, suffering numerous injuries and countless setbacks – starting just nine league games since the beginning of last campaign. However, Leeds’ recent enforced hiatus may well have helped the striker.

Leeds haven’t played a game of competitive football since 3rd September, which was a damning defeat at the hands of Brentford, but with a match against struggling Aston Villa coming up on Sunday, Jesse Marsch will be hoping his side can get back to winning ways.

Having Bamford back fit and firing would be huge for Leeds – and that’s what fans can expect, according to Jones, who spoke about the striker on the Chasing Green Arrows YouTube channel ahead of the latest Premier League fixtures.

He said: “If Bamford was fit enough for long enough, he’d probably be in this England setup. Bamford back for Leeds [next weekend]? I think so.

Will Bamford start vs Aston Villa?

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“I think it’s been pretty perfect for him; the fact that Leeds have had such a long break has probably worked out in his favour. Obviously, we’ll be able to tell more about this on Friday’s show once we start to get sucked back into club action and hearing from the clubs, but I would be surprised if Bamford wasn’t available from here on.”

TIF Thoughts on Bamford’s availability…

It will certainly be huge for Marsch and Leeds to have Bamford back and leading the line as it will not only take a lot of pressure off Joe Gelhardt, who has just six league starts under his belt and is the only other fit centre-forward at the club, but because Bamford is a proven goalscorer at this level.

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This is Bamford’s third season in the top flight with Leeds, and while last term was a write-off, the England international did show what he’s capable of during his inaugural Premier League campaign with Leeds with a return of 17 goals.

So, it seems pretty obvious that Leeds are a much better side with Bamford compared to when the striker is in the treatment room, so the fact that Bamford has now had a prolonged period of time to recover, train and build up his fitness should mean that he can be ready to go on Sunday without any niggling doubts.

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