Patrick Bamford may miss the rest of Leeds United season after major injury update
Patrick Bamford will struggle to play for Leeds United again this season as he is set to be unavailable for a “minimum of six weeks” reports The Athletic.
The striker was only just playing his way back to full fitness when he became one of four Whites players to leave the wild 3-2 win over Wolves with injury.
There are only eight weeks left of the Premier League season as Jesse Marsch looks to lead his side away from relegation, so the former Middlesbrough forward may not feature again, having injured the sole of his foot, but will not require surgery.
Leeds’ head of medicine and performance Rob Price said: “As all of the stats show, Patrick has put his body on the line for Leeds United for a number of seasons, he has played with a plantar fascia injury for the last 12 months and despite treatment and a prolonged period of rehabilitation, the injury has progressed from a partial tear to a full rupture.
“As all sports medics know, injuries to the plantar fascia are notoriously difficult to manage, but all concerned are confident that he will make a full recovery from this injury in good time.”
Awful news
This is exactly what everyone connected with the club feared when Bamford came off the field at Molineux in tears.
After leaving a gaping hole at the top of the formation that Marcelo Bielsa struggled to fill, the 28-year-old finally looked to be on his way back.
It is a crushing blow for both the player and the club, having worked so hard to get back on the field.
And although the two consecutive wins have opened a bit of breathing space to the relegation zone, he is a big miss.
United desperately need to ensure their Premier League survival, and with Tyler Roberts already ruled out for the year, the central striking job looks to fall to Joe Gelhardt.
The youngster scored a dramatic winner against Norwich but is still relatively inexperienced.
This is now his big opportunity to step into Bamford’s shoes over a vital final stretch.
In other Leeds United news, Deco’s negotiations with Barcelona over Raphinha appear to be a brazen example of tapping up.