Leeds United are well-positioned going into the final 12 games of the season as Daniel Farke closes in on a third Championship title – but it looks like they could be without a key attacker.
Wins against Sunderland and Sheffield United in the past fortnight have provided some breathing space at the top of the Championship table. Five points in front of Chris Wilder’s side, seven ahead of Burnley.
Saturday sees Leeds take on the toughest of their remaining 12 games in terms of position in the table, when West Brom come to visit. The Baggies sit in fifth place and Alex Mowatt has given Leeds a warning.
Tony Mowbray’s side are in contention for a play-off place, and look good for it. Farke confirmed there are no new absentees but Max Wober, Ethan Ampadu and Patrick Bamford are set to remain sidelined.
Daniel Farke’s worrying verdict on Leeds striker Patrick Bamford
Bamford is yet to start a single league game for Leeds this season and has been sidelined since New Year’s Day, when he came off the bench during the 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road.
Since then, Farke has given numerous updates. Initially, Bamford was expected in training after The FA Cup loss to Millwall. But he has failed to recover and now, Farke says there is no timelines for his return.
“Struggling to give you a timeframe. Individual training he is doing a lot and building up his fitness levels,” Farke said on Thursday afternoon in his latest press conference, ahead of the visit of West Brom.
Patrick Bamford has surely played his last game for Leeds United
It is almost seven years since Leeds paid £10m to sign Bamford from Middlesbrough and while he has had his critics over the years, the striker scored some crucial goals – as well as his sparkling 20-21 season.
But now, Bamford is nearing the end of his Leeds spell with a whimper. Graham Smyth says he expects Bamford to leave this summer even if his contract still has a year left to go – and it does seem inevitable.
With Farke unable to determine when Bamford may return, it looks increasingly likely that he has played his last game for Leeds. Even if he does come back, he will still remain the club’s third-choice striker.
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