"Absolutely bonkers" - Anderson drops fresh claim on £18m-rated LUFC star amid big Bielsa problem

Journalist David Anderson has described Patrick Bamford’s five month wait to start a Premier League game for Leeds as “absolutely bonkers”.

Bamford has been riddled with injuries this season and has played just 22 minutes of first-team football since the middle of September.

Having enjoyed a brilliant first season in the Premier League with Leeds, the £18m-rated striker would have been hoping to kick on and continue scoring goals at this level.

Bamford did exactly that, scoring twice and chipping in with one assist in his first five appearances.

However, in the last of those, at Newcastle, Bamford suffered a hamstring injury late in the game and would spend the next two-and-a-half months on the sidelines.

He would finally make his return as a substitute against Brentford in December and would mark his comeback by scoring a dramatic injury-time equaliser to rescue a point.

But his bad luck continued as he injured his hamstring while celebrating the goal and hasn’t played since, missing the last eight games in all competitions.

Bielsa was hopeful that Bamford could return at West Ham on 16 January having recovered from his muscle problem, only to suffer a foot injury, which kept him out of the 3-2 victory at the London Stadium and defeat to Newcastle before the winter break.

Bamford has now missed 19 games in all competitions, just three fewer than he missed throughout his first three years at the club.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Bielsa was optimistic and said Bamford should have been back for West Ham, but he suffered another injury and it’s his third one of the season.

“He hasn’t started a game for Leeds since 17 September, it’s absolutely bonkers.”

Leeds aren’t in action again until they travel to Aston Villa in the midweek