Paul Scholes has claimed that Patrick Bamford returning to action is a ‘big bonus’ for Leeds United.
The Manchester United legend added that Elland Road is a ‘tough’ place to go, as he hailed the Leeds fans for the ‘brilliant’ atmosphere they generate.
It took nearly two decades, but when Leeds returned to the big time it was a monumental moment for the club.
All the years of hurt were ended by a team led by the now-legendary figure Marcelo Bielsa, who was replaced by Jesse Marsch in the Leeds dugout last season.
Nonetheless, Elland Road has been a pretty hostile place to go if you are an away team, but it still didn’t stop the team’s struggles last season.
Scholes admitted that he does worry for Jesse Marsch’s side, as he expressed the importance of Bamford, whilst speaking to Premier League Productions.
“The atmosphere is brilliant at Leeds,” said Scholes. “Once you get them fans going, it’s a really tough place to go.
“Has he got the team this year to survive? I don’t know. On the evidence against Aston Villa, they didn’t look great, they didn’t look like they had much of a threat up front.
“Obviously, getting Bamford fit will be a big bonus for them. But the lad just can’t seem to stay fit for long.
“If he stays fit, then they have a chance because he scores goals, but they were lucky against Aston Villa and it was only Villa’s bad finishing that got them the point.”
BAMFORD IS THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
With the ball and without the ball, Leeds do a lot of things right and they make the opposition’s life a nightmare because of their fast-paced nature and all-aggression style.
Aston Villa found that out at the weekend when they struggled to break down ten-man Leeds during their goalless draw.
But when Bamford was introduced into the action, even with ten men, he was causing havoc up top.
One of the best things Bamford does is make those around him much better and he pushes the team up the field, so if he can stay out of the treatment room, then it could prove to be vital to Leeds’ season.
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