Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford is struggling in pre-season so far.
For Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford, this might feel like an extension of last season rather than the beginning of a new one.
That’s because the former Middlesbrough hitman is still struggling to score goals and still frustrating fans because of it.
On Saturday, the 25-year-old missed another gilt-edged chance in a friendly as Leeds rounded off their tour of Australia with a 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
He had a rotten end to the 2018-19 campaign; not only because he scored just the once in five must-win Championship games, but also because his theatrics against Aston Villa earned him a two-match ban and brought an element of shame and embarrassment on the club.
Yep, this pre-season feels like more of the same for Bamford, but there’s a very good reason as to why Leeds fans should back him – Ross McCormack.
The Scot, like Bamford, had a quiet pre-season campaign with United ahead of the 2013-14 term and didn’t score one single goal.
Fast forward nine months and he netted 29 times in games that did matter and is it unthinkable that Bamford could do the same? Well, he might not score as many as McCormack that year, but it goes to show that a disappointing performance in a series of friendlies means absolutely nothing.
After all, the Whites spent £7 million on him [The Daily Mail] for a reason and that’s because he is a very decent striker at this level.
And by May, he, like McCormack, could very easily remind his critics of that.
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