Well, Patrick Bamford certainly struggled for Leeds United last night.
The £10 million addition from 2018 [Daily Mail] started for Jesse Marsch’s side on Thursday as Leicester City cruised to a 2-0 victory at the King Power Stadium.
But Bamford struggled to have a meaningful impact as the focal point in Leeds’ attack.
In fact, he only managed 22 touches [WhoScored] before Marsch hauled him off for Jack Harrison on 64 minutes and those lack of touches really illustrate what a difficult night he had.
The 29-year-old has spent most of the past 18 months on the sidelines due to various injuries.
And former Hull City and Birmingham midfielder Curtis Woodhouse believes Bamford’s legs have gone, claiming he looked ‘shot to pieces’ last night.
When criticising Bamford, context is massive.
As mentioned, he has definitely had sheer rotten luck for Leeds since their return to the Premier League in 2020.
He had a wonderful first season back and played a massive role in the Whites – then under Marcelo Bielsa – finishing ninth upon their return to the big time.
Bamford scored 17 Premier League goals during the 2020-21 campaign but it’s no coincidence that the less he plays, the more United seem to struggle.
They survived by a whisker last term, with the English marksman managing only nine appearances in this competition all season.
And he so far it could be another struggle to stay fit and it’s no surprise to see Marsch’s side outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
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