Medical expert: Patrick Bamford’s season is over after ‘painful’ Leeds United announcement
Patrick Bamford will not play again for Leeds United this term – but he will likely have put his injury problems behind him ahead of 2022-23.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Leeds announced last Sunday (27 March) that Bamford, 29, has ruptured his plantar fascia after struggling with the foot injury all season.
The centre-forward, who has also suffered with ankle and hamstring problems in 2021-22, will not require surgery.
But Head of Medicine and Performance Rob Price stressed that Bamford now needs a “period of rest and rehabilitation to allow his body to recover.”
We are unlikely to see Bamford again this season but a total reset might be exactly what he needs after a frustrating campaign, claims Dinnery.
“I’d be very surprised if we see him again this season,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Some of the research I’ve read gives him an outside chance, but it’s very, very small.
“Typically, we’re looking at around the nine or 10-week return timeline.
“When you look at how heavily his season has been disrupted, it makes a lot more sense to focus on his recovery.
“I think he’ll be looking at pre-season and they won’t want to take any unnecessary risks with this one. It’s very painful.
“He’ll initially be immobile. It’s all about gradual reintroduction but I wouldn’t expect that to be before the end of the season.
“But hopefully the fact it has been ruptured now means he’ll be in a much better place than he has been in the last year.
“We know he has been managing this problem But because of the rupture, that tension in the foot has been released.
“It’s going to be non-surgical because the foot has really good blood flow. That is the silver lining. Hopefully, he can move forward now.”
Bamford has two goals and three assists in 11 outings when fit this term.
Leeds, who face Southampton on Saturday (2 April), are currently 16th in the Premier League.
In other news, pundit suggests Leeds United could now sell Raphinha for “£50million” after transfer update.