Leeds United remain managerless and are deep in relegation trouble after they were beaten by Manchester United at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.
Whilst it was the second strong showing against the Red Devils this week, the Yorkshire outfit desperately need to pick up points or risk going back to the Championship after just three years back in the big time.
Late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho extended the Whites’ winless run to nine straight matches in the Premier League. It also means that Leeds have scored just three goals in five outings too.
Patrick Bamford‘s struggles since making a permanent comeback from injury have certainly continued…
Should Leeds’ next boss drop Bamford from the starting XI?
YES!
NO!
How did Patrick Bamford do against Man Utd?
It was only one-and-a-half seasons ago that the Englishman had completed a prolific campaign in front of goal as he helped Marcelo Bielsa’s side to a ninth-placed finish with his 17 goals and seven assists.
Since then, injuries have wrecked his time in west Yorkshire and he’s returned as a shadow of himself post-surgery as this latest blank has made it four straight without a goal, via Transfermarkt.
This wretched record is doing Leeds more harm than good and with a club-record signing waiting in the wings, it could be an easy switch for any new manager to make.
Against United, Bamford mustered up fewer touches of the ball (16) than even goalkeeper Illan Meslier (31) – hardly a surprise given he was hooked before the hour mark but a rather damning indictment of just how ineffective he’s been.
Indeed, the 29-year-old – who earns a reported £74k-per-week at Elland Road – missed one big chance at 0-0 and had that fallen to him during the 2020/21 season, then you’d imagine it would be buried, without fail.
The former Chelsea youth graduate also managed just four accurate passes from his 16 touches, which was the same number as his replacement managed in half the time, whilst just one effort was on target, via Sofascore.
If Leeds’ next manager is to turn the tide at Elland Road, then he’ll quickly need to find a solution in the final third, with Bamford misfiring once again. It’s been a frequent occurrence since his return, so perhaps it’s finally time to see what Georginio Rutter can offer.
AND in other news, Marsch downgrade: Orta could put the final nail in Leeds’ coffin with “clueless” 55y/o…
