Leeds United: Patrick Bamford has 50% chance of return as injury news drops v Fulham
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is said to have a 50% chance of featuring against Fulham at the weekend, according to Ben Dinnery
The injury expert believe that his “evolution” is close to a stage where he could be back in contention from the calf problem that he picked up against Crystal Palace.
Rodrigo came into the side in the heavy defeat to Liverpool, with another option, Georginio Rutter still yet to collect his first Premier League start.
The striker is one of several key figures out for the Whites at a time when the pressure is mounting on head coach Javi Gracia and the players, with Dinnery sharing the update on his website.
“After the last game, some players had some issues,” stated the report quoting the Leeds boss.
“One of them was Patrick, he had problems in his calf, and we’ll see his evolution if he will be ready for the next match.”
Potential impact
With just three Premier League goals to his name this season, the 29-year-old has not been on the winning side in the trio of games that he has been on the score sheet.
However, he showed his potential impact in the recent fixture against Palace when he executed a deft, glancing header to open the scoring. It proved to be meaningless due to the horror second half that followed, with Roy Hodgson’s side taking full advantage of defensive frailties.
That pattern continued against Liverpool, as relegation fears increased but if attack is to be the only meaningful form of Leeds defence over the remaining games then Bamford will be required.
He is capable of high quality, but that commodity has mostly eluded the striker this season due to a combination of poor team form, inconsistent individual displays and injury.
It is the latter that matters most, ahead of a huge contest in west London on Saturday. The supporters need something to hold on to and Gracia must find a way for his team to deliver a result.
In other Leeds news, attacker ‘persistently linked’ with Leeds is set to leave his club within weeks.