Marcelo Bielsa has admitted that he doesn’t know when Patrick Bamford will be available for Leeds United again, claiming the striker cannot even run propery at the moment.
The 28-year-old hasn’t kicked a ball for Leeds since December due to a foot injury.
Even then, it was only a 22-minute cameo after returning from an another three-month absence.
If not for bad luck, the Whites striker would have none at all and Bielsa’s outfit have struggled without a constant and ever-present figure up front.
And worryingly, Bielsa has revealed that the treatment Bamford is undergoing hasn’t been effective in easing the former Middlesbrough striker’s pain.
He told BBC Sport: “He has a problem in his foot which is preventing him from running due to the pain. He’s having treatment which isn’t taking the pain away at the moment.
“The first step for his recovery is that he is able to move. That hasn’t happened and it’s impossible to imagine when that’s going to happen.”
Seventeen goals.
That’s what Bamford – a £10 million signing in 2018 – netted for Leeds last season on their long-awaited return to the Premier League.
So the fact that the England international has managed just six top-flight appearances this season, well it’s a serious problem.
With a six-point cushion from the bottom three, the Elland Road outfit probably aren’t going to be relegated this season.
However, as soon as the summer transfer window is open for business, Bielsa and Victor Orta – their director of football – need to have a shortlist of strikers as long as Peter Crouch’s legs.
Leeds need to seriously bolster their striking options throughout the summer window because talented as Bamford is, it would be insane to rely too heavily on him during the 2022-23 campaign.
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