David Prutton feels Jesse Marsch has a ‘head-scratcher’ over who starts at Leeds United if it is not Patrick Bamford. The striker has only opened two league games so far this season.
Marsch has had to carefully manage Bamford’s workload this term after he suffered a groin injury in August. The problem ruled the 29-year-old out of two games as he bid to get back to a consistent role after last term’s issues. He only started seven of his nine league games.
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Bamford endured frequent trips to the treatment room last season after he suffered three serious injuries. The issues kept the one-cap England international out of 27 league fixtures whilst the Whites fought to avoid relegation. He also only scored two goals in 560 minutes.
The stop-start nature of Bamford’s last two seasons has meant he is yet to get back to the levels he reached in 2020/21. Upon helping the Elland Road outfit gain promotion into the Premier League, the Grantham-born attacker hit 17 goals and created eight in 38 matches.
Rodrigo has been Marsch’s go-to alternative for Bamford so far this term with the Spaniard starting all six of his top-flight appearances. The 31-year-old has also scored four goals and offered one assist. Yet the 27-cap dynamo has not scored or created since beating Chelsea.
Prutton feels Leeds now have a ‘head scratcher’ over who starts if it is not Bamford
Prutton expects Marsch will again start Rodrigo if Bamford is not fit to open Leeds’ trip to Crystal Palace this Sunday. But the former Whites midfielder believes the West Yorkshire outfit are blessed with attacking depth in Joe Gelhardt and £3.8m signing Wilfried Gnonto.
“We’ll have to wait and see if Patrick Bamford starts and there remains a big debate over who fills in for Patrick when he doesn’t start with Rodrigo bobbing in and out and the pressure on a record signing to deliver,” he wrote in his Yorkshire Evening Post column.
“It’s almost like first refusal with Rodrigo off the back of Patrick not being fit and that’s how it feels. But there’s Joe Gelhardt, too, plus Willy Gnonto now and the younger players coming through, too, and it’s all a bit of a head-scratcher.
“It’s a conundrum that I don’t envy for Jesse, but it’s one that Jesse gets paid handsomely for and he is [the] manager of this very good football club to answer these questions.”
Gelhardt has only started one of the 20-year-old’s five Premier League appearances so far this term. Marsch also dropped the youngster from his matchday squad against Aston Villa last week for Gnonto. The 18-year-old took a seat on the bench but he is still yet to debut.
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