‘It’s very close’: £35k-a-week Leeds player has exciting news for fans

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Patrick Bamford has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he is very close to returning from the hamstring injury that has forced him to miss Leeds United’s last three Premier League games.

It has been an awful time for Bamford. He initially sustained an ankle problem in the draw away at Newcastle in September. That problem ruled him out of nine fixtures for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

He appeared set to hand Leeds a massive boost however, coming off the bench against Brentford in November. And his impact was immediate. He scored the stoppage-time equaliser to earn the Whites a point.

However, as noted by the Yorkshire Evening Post, he sustained a hamstring injury amid all of the celebrations of that last-gasp goal. And he has not been involved since.

Two postponements have taken a little pressure off of Leeds. But that Brentford game also saw Bielsa’s men lose Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips to injury. So with Bamford sidelined, Leeds appeared to lose a whole potential spine of the side in that one game.

‘It’s very close’

Phillips is reportedly set to be out for some time yet. But Leeds may be about to receive a boost before facing Burnley in January. Bamford has now suggested that he is edging closer – and may be in with a chance of taking on the Clarets.

“I think it was almost a blessing in disguise that the two games over Christmas got postponed, but yeah, it’s coming along nicely. I should be doing drills tomorrow [Thursday] and then we’ll see how close we are,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“It’s touch and go for Burnley. I’m feeling good. I’ve hit every marker that’s been laid down so far day to day, so it’s been a good improvement. It’s not a few weeks away. It’s very close.”

Patrick Bamford return will be huge for Leeds, whether he faces Burnley or not

Bielsa will be wary of rushing Bamford – who earns £35,000-a-week – back. While he probably would have done little differently – with Bamford’s injury seemingly not related to his previous one – his absence highlights the risk of expecting too much, too soon.

It was Bamford however, who scored Leeds’ equaliser at Burnley at the start of the season. So clearly, his availability would be absolutely massive if he is back.