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Darren Bent claims Leeds ace Patrick Bamford deserves Bruno Fernandes-esque praise
Darren Bent says he has been shocked by Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford who is often overlooked compared to other Premier League superstars.
Bamford hit the ground running for the Whites this season after their 16-year top-flight absence and he is currently fourth in the top scorer charts with 14 goals, just behind golden boot frontrunners Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah.
The only other player alongside him is Manchester United maestro Bruno Fernandes, whose 14 league goals include seven penalties, compared to the one dispatched by Bamford.
Talking on talkSPORT Drive [17:00, 02/04/21], ex-England striker Bent piled praise on the 27-year-old and lamented his inability to claw his way into the recent Three Lions squad.
“He’s been really good this season and he’s been so unfortunate because he’s probably playing as well as he has played ever, and he doesn’t get the England call-up,” Bent said.
He added: “I always thought he’d do well in the Premier League but if I’m honest did I see him doing as well as he has done? Not in a million years.
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“You look at some of the goals he’s scored as well, the hat-trick against [Aston] Villa, he was sensational, phenomenal.
“If [Bruno] Fernandes had scored it we’d be talking about it more.”
Impossible to ignore much longer
Bent’s bang on the money here, our Paddy seems to get slighted in the media for no apparent reason.
His England snub was surely a body blow, especially considering Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins was preferred ahead of him despite scoring four more goals and assisting three more than him.
The fact that Bamford has made the step-up in divisions despite spending the past three seasons in the Championship is a testament to his ability and character but that seems to get overlooked by many.
Kane and Salah have been scoring Premier League goals by the bucket loads for a number of seasons while Fernandes was brought in for big-money, and yet Bamford is still hot on their tails in the race to be the league’s top marksman.
The Villa Park hat-trick referred to by Bent was a striking masterclass yet little has been made of it.
Bamford deserves more, from England and the media, so we hope that starts to change soon. Surely his red-hot form means he can no longer be ignored.
In other Leeds United news, Whites set to miss out on international midfielder due to Brexit regulations.