Michael Owen has questioned why Patrick Bamford didn’t play for Leeds United during their 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, as he told Amazon Prime.
Given that Bamford, who is returning from injury, played 90 minutes for Leeds’ under-23’s on Monday, Owen then questioned ‘why he can’t play tonight’ against Palace instead.
Bamford has played for Leeds since their 1-1 draw at Newcastle in September and it’s fair to say that his teammates have missed his presence and goalscoring touch in the final third.
But they got over the line yesterday when Raphinha scored from the penalty spot in stoppage-time.
Nonetheless, this is what Owen had to say about Bamford before the game and how his imminent return will give ‘everybody a lift’.
“Patrick Bamford played for 90 minutes yesterday, we hear, for the under-23’s,” said Owen. “So, that will give everybody a lift that he is nearly back fit.
“I don’t know why, if he can play in the under-23’s yesterday, then he can’t play tonight. I’d be so tempered if I was a manager.
“But Bamford is the missing link and there is no-one that scores goals quite like him in this team.”
Given that Bamford has got 90 minutes under his belt, he will surely be back for their home clash against Brentford on Sunday.
If Leeds had lost last night, then there probably would have been a bit more of a panic to get their £10 million player (BBC Sport) back into the team.
But they can now rest easy and possibly allow him to train even further before bringing him back into the fold.
In truth, given how demanding Marcelo Bielsa is, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does go down that road and opts to use him next week instead.
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