The Leeds United star is admired by Jermaine Beckford.
Jermaine Beckford has suggested to The Yorkshire Evening Post that Leeds United players didn’t have confidence in Patrick Bamford last season, but can see a big difference this time around.
Bamford cut a frustrated figure when Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa withdrew him for Eddie Nketiah – who later opened the scoring – after 70 minutes of last Sunday’s win at Barnsley.
Despite being annoyed, the 25-year-old striker, a £10 million signing in the summer of 2018 [BBC Sport], had a good game overall, with the hosts struggling with his physicality and hold-up play.
This is a new facet of Bamford’s game in the eyes of former Leeds hitman Beckford, who believes that his colleagues did not have the same belief in him last season.
He told The Yorkshire Evening Post: “I think his movement is very clever, he’s improved quite a bit in terms of his upper body strength from last season.
“When the ball comes into him you can tell the guys around him have a lot of confidence in him because they’re starting to make a lot of movements off him.
“Last season I don’t think they had as much confidence in him in terms of his hold up play. I think he’s definitely an unsung hero for Leeds.”
Bamford spent quite a lot of his first season at Elland Road out injured, but it’s clear that the ex-Middlesbrough star, who has four goals in the Championship this season, is benefitting from being Bielsa’s first-choice striker right now.
United, who sit top of the Championship, host Derby County in West Yorkshire this weekend and Bamford will expect to lead the line once again.
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