Has Leeds’s Patrick Bamford possibly moved step closer to England call?

Add as preferred source on Google

Just a few weeks ago, the talk surrounding Patrick Bamford centred on whether the Leeds United striker would be good enough to play in the Premier League.

Bamford topped the Whites’ scoring charts last term. However, it certainly seemed that his tally of 16 goals should have been much better given the chances he had in the Championship.

But after six appearances in the top flight, new questions about Bamford are surfacing. No longer are people wondering whether he can score at the highest level. Instead, they are now weighing up if he could be an outside contender for an England call-up.

That is because Bamford already has six goals to his name this season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the only Englishman to have scored more so far.

With his latest three goals coming from a stunning hat-trick at Aston Villa, it would be remarkable if he was not a player on Gareth Southgate’s radar.

And perhaps, there is a chance that Bamford’s hopes of a first call-up could have just received a further boost.

Southampton’s own victory over Villa on Sunday included some concerning moments for Ralph Hasenhuttl. The biggest involved Danny Ings, with the striker coming off with a knee injury.

Ings has been outstanding since moving to the south coast. His form for the Saints has seen the former Liverpool man recalled to the England squad in recent times.

Given his previous problems with injury, the Saints face an anxious wait to find out the full extent of this problem. The fantastic news however, is that it seems to not be too serious.

The Telegraph reported on Monday that Southampton hope to have Ings back in training soon, with an initial scan showing no ligament damage.

With the international break just around the corner however, it would surely be little surprise if Southgate considered leaving Ings out of his next squad.

That could open a door for another striker to come in. Of course, there are other contenders. Callum Wilson also has six goals this term and boasts previous experience with England.

But with Bamford springing plenty of surprises already this term, perhaps he could be in line to manage one more should Ings not be ready by the time Southgate names his squad.