Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch has said Patrick Bamford is fit and ready to fill the hole left by Rodrigo Moreno after the Spaniard was ruled out for around eight weeks with an ankle injury.
The 29-year-old’s injury problems over the last 18 months have been no secret, but as he has been eased into action in recent weeks, the fans have seen glimpses of the old Bamford we know and love. A first goal came in the loss to Aston Villa and a superb brace in the FA Cup game with Cardiff City showed us what we have been missing.
The former England striker drew a blank in the games with Brentford and Accrington Stanley but his performance in the latter was nothing short of excellent. His build-up play and the way he links up with those around him is like no other and confirms how much a better side the Whites are with him in the team. His return from injury could have come at the perfect time for Leeds, and for Jesse Marsch.
Marsch has been given the tools to start putting wins together with the signings of Max Wober, Georginio Rutter and Weston McKennie, and if you add a fully fit Bamford to that list, the American simply has no excuses. Performances have been getting better, but with 2 wins in 16 games, it really is time to start winning games of football.
Marsch experimented against Accrington, with Rodrigo and Bamford playing minutes together in an unfamiliar two upfront. It seemed to work well, and it has seen sections of the fans calling for that formation to be used regularly in the Premier League.
As per LeedsLive, Marsch said, “Even when we put Rodri in [against Accrington] part of the idea was can we get those two playing together a little bit more and what would that look like.”
“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to visit that for a little while but the fact that Patrick is physically in the best shape in at least a year and a half is, I think, the most important talking point.”
Jesse Marsch makes huge Patrick Bamford claim with Leeds United hole to fill #lufc https://t.co/tku7g7q1Xi
— Leeds United Live (@liveleedsunited) February 3, 2023
“If he feels good physically then he has quality and he’s a natural goal scorer and then you can see his confidence grow in training and in matches. So he went through a stretch earlier in the season where he wasn’t taking his chances as well, but part of it was he just physically wasn’t right.
“Now he’s on track and we need him. So I think Georgi, they can play together as well. I think also Patrick, we’ll monitor carefully to make sure that we don’t overextend him, and then we can use Georgi at times, too. But I think those two are both ready to take more on their shoulders.”
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I had a dream he scored back-to-back hattricks last night. Let’s hope that is true!