{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
Leeds United: BBC journalist shares new Patrick Bamford injury concern after Crystal Palace defeat
Patrick Bamford was carrying an injury when Leeds United came out after half time in the 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, according to Adam Pope.
The luckless striker scored his 50th Whites goal to put the home side ahead on Sunday (9 April), before Marc Guehi equalised on the stroke of half time, and Roy Hodgson’s side then ran riot after the break.
The English forward has spent most of the past two years struggling with one fitness issue after another, and his eventual substitution by Javi Gracia looks to have been the result of another according to BBC man Pope, who could not understand the complete collapse even if one player was carrying a knock.
On the BBC podcast Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet (10 April, 7m 19s) Pope said of Guehi’s equaliser: “I don’t understand how a goal can be so demoralising to going out in the second half, where we understand that Bamford might have gone out with a little bit of a… playing under a bit of an injury.
“He had to go off, he wasn’t moving well.
“But even that, the sum of the whole was still so much better than one player struggling.”
Once again
It is like a broken record these days for Bamford, and for however much it frustrates the supporters the 29-year-old will be more sick of the situation than anyone.
Whether he was struggling or not the former Middlesbrough man can’t be held responsible for the result, with the plethora of other attacking talent that joined him on the pitch at different points, as he did at least find the net.
And the defensive performance was as concerning as anything on the day as Roy Hodgson’s men looked like scoring with every attack in the second 45, and did from most of them.
Gracia will have to hope that his number nine isn’t ruled out for any length of time, with his absences over the past two relegation battles a running theme.
Either way the Spaniard has a major job on his hands to identify the reasons for the complete turnaround in the last game and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Willy Gnonto has returned from his own knock, but injury issues have cropped up at a crucial time, and based on Sunday’s performance the lack of Max Wober and Tyler Adams looks like it could be a key element of the next few matches.
Everyone will be hoping that Bamford doesn’t once again join that list, and that the home thrashing will go down as an aberration that is quickly moved on from.
In other Leeds United news, a furious Micah Richards has claimed he would confront one Whites ace in the tunnel afterwards for what he did during the game.