Andy Hinchcliffe told Sky Sports PL during their live coverage of Leeds United’s defeat to West Ham that he didn’t think Patrick Bamford would be able to ‘cut it’ in the Premier League.
Whilst Bamford failed to score on Friday night, Leeds’ main man up top has eight goals in the league this season and Hinchcliffe feels his ‘work rate has stepped up’.
The 27-year-old’s performances this season have even started potential talk of him earning an England call, and whilst he missed out on recent squads, if he adds to his goals during these coming months then he might just don the colours of the Three Lions by the time the summer hits.
Nonetheless, former Everton and Sheffield Wednesday left-back, Hinchcliffe, who watched Bamford on a weekly basis in the Championship, admitted that the former Chelsea youth product has made him eat his words.
“I saw him a lot in the Championship last season,” said Hinchcliffe. “I didn’t think he would really cut it in the Premier League.
“But his work rate has stepped up. His attacking movement has also been good from the games that I have seen.
“It’s just again that shot conversion, he missed a lot of chances in the Championship and he’s doing that again in the Premier League. But Leeds as a team are doing that and that’s their major problem.”
It has been some journey for Bamford over the years, who has gone on loan to the likes of Crystal Palace and Derby, as well as spend time at the jam-packed Chelsea academy.
Bamford struggled to find a home for many years before Leeds United came knocking. And since then he hasn’t looked back.
No-one has shown more faith and belief in Bamford than Marcelo Bielsa, who has taken the Englishman’s game to the levels even he perhaps didn’t think he would reach.
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