Leeds United have given an update on the Patrick Bamford injury situation, confirming that the star striker will be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks, according to the club’s website. The England international left the pitch at the 23 minute mark of their 3-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on March 18, 2022.
The striker will no doubt be disappointed to miss what is shaping up to be a crucial stretch of games for the Yorkshire club as they look to secure Premier League survival.
Leeds United Issue Patrick Bamford Injury Update
Patrick Bamford Injury Woes
The Leeds number nine has only managed nine appearances for the club this season after going down with an ankle injury against Newcastle United on September 17, 2021. Speaking to the club website, Leeds’ Head of Medicine and Performance Rob Price stated: “he has played with a plantar fascia injury for the last 12 months and despite treatment and a prolonged period of rehabilitation, the injury has progressed from a partial tear to a full rupture.”
Bamford had a remarkable season for Leeds last year as the club celebrated their first campaign back in the top-flight following a 16 year hiatus. The 28 year-old scored 17 goals in the Premier League earning his first international cap for England on September 5, 2021 in a World Cup Qualifier against Andorra at Wembley.
What This Means for Leeds
Losing Bamford again at such a crucial point of the season is a huge loss for Leeds and the club will be hoping that another option can fill his boots, as they have had to do all season, to replace their leading goal scorer from the 2020/21 campaign.
20 year-old Sam Greenwood came on as Bamford’s replacement against Wolverhampton, however, as that was only his second senior appearance for the club it’s unlikely to expect he will be relied upon in the remaining eight games.
Fellow U23 graduate Joe Gelhardt has featured much more heavily for the senior squad than his teammate has and has generated a lot of buzz following goals against Chelsea and a last-minute winner against Norwich City. Having made 13 appearances for the club this season it could be likely that manager Jesse Marsch will hope the 19 year-old is able to step up to the challenge.
Other options at the striker position will be Rodrigo or winger Daniel James, who has filled in at centre-forward a number of times this season. Rodrigo would likely be the safer option in front of goal as the Spaniard has experience leading the line from his time at Valencia where he managed 16 goals in the 2017/18 season.
New manager Jesse Marsch likes to operate with a fluid 4-2-2-2, which will likely see Rodrigo and James up front with Harrison and Raphinha flanking them both. However, if the goals fail to materialise he may choose to hand some game time to Gelhardt or Greenwood to see if they can step up to the challenge.
Leeds’ Remaining Fixtures
Following the win against Wolverhampton, Leeds find themselves sitting in 16th place with 29 points. With eight games remaining the club will be looking to pick up some points against the likes of Watford, Brentford, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion. Any points from those games, or elsewhere for that matter, are crucial if they are to pull away from the relegation battle at the foot of the table.
Leeds are currently seven points clear from the relegation zones, however, due to fixture postponements earlier in the season, each of the clubs below have at least one more game to play, with Everton and Burnley both having three games-in-hand over the Yorkshire club.
The team will need goals in order to pick up the points needed to ensure safety and will be looking to the likes of James, Rodrigo, Gelhardt and Greenwood, as well as the rest of the squad, to provide them in Bamford’s absence.
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