Graham Smyth shares ‘ideal scenario’ for Leeds United and Patrick Bamford this season
Leeds United not having to rely so much on Patrick Bamford and utilising Mateo Joseph more next season would be the “ideal scenario”, Graham Smyth has said.
The Yorkshire Evening post journalist is with the Whites on their pre-season camp in Germany and detailed on the publication’s website how Bamford, who had plenty of injury problems last season, didn’t last the whole session but did manage 70 minutes and took full part during that time.
Joseph was on the periphery of the first team last season, making 20 Championship appearances, but Smyth said having the 20-year-old striker play a more prominent role will only be a good thing for Daniel Farke especially as Bamford’s workload is being managed after undergoing surgery on a knee injury late last season.
Leeds United need Mateo Joseph to step up this season
On his day, Bamford can be a menace and cause countless problems for opposing teams.
But, in recent seasons, his injuries have taken a toll on his output and it’s becoming more and more obvious that he isn’t someone Farke can rely upon each week.
Although Bamford may feel that he could’ve taken part in the session yesterday for its entirety, his workload needs to be managed carefully to not aggravate the injury.
It also seems obvious that youngster Mateo Joseph is going to have a role to play in Farke’s squad across the 2024/25 season.
Joseph was denied the opportunity to represent Spain [Joe Donnohue, 17 June] in this year’s Olympics so that he could train with Leeds’ senior squad.
This omission also led former Whites goalkeeper Paul Robinson to believe that the attacker would likely play an important role this term.
With this in mind, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see the Spaniard included in Farke’s squad week-in and week-out.
In other Leeds news, the Whites’ stance on the future of Illan Meslier has been revealed.
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