Patrick Bamford: Pundit fears Leeds United being ‘sucked into’ another injury crisis after development
Patrick Bamford has no time to find his form and must hit the ground running for Leeds United, according to Alex McLeish.
The former Scotland manager, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, said Jesse March’s side are in desperate need of the “bit of magic” the 28-year-old possesses in front of goal.
Bamford has played just 22 minutes of football since mid-September for the Whites.
On Saturday (5 March), he returned to the Leeds United bench but was an unused substitute in a 1-0 loss at Leicester City.
As quoted by Leeds Live (5 March), Marsch revealed the centre-forward had just 10 minutes in him at the King Power Stadium but will be involved in games to come.
McLeish fears Bamford could be rushed back too early.
“Let’s face it, everyone in that squad is desperate for Patrick to be back out there,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“They will want him to hit the ground running. He has got to come in and be the Patrick Bamford that we have seen light up the Premier League in recent seasons. He possesses that bit of magic in front of goal.
“But your body does not lie. You can get sucked into something by your head when your body isn’t ready. You can’t expose yourself.
“I played with a broken toe once, it was a stress fracture, and it snapped. I came back to help the manager because we were struggling at the time. I ended up being ruled out for the season.”
In other news, a medical expert has named a new Liam Cooper comeback date after ‘red herring’ at Leeds United.