Bad news for Marsch: LUFC without 'complete' forward as Phil Hay drops pre-Chelsea injury update

Leeds United will once again be without striker Patrick Bamford for tonight’s clash with Chelsea, Phil Hay reports.

Bamford and Leeds have had seasons to forget, with the 28-year-old making just seven starts under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch.

He has missed the majority of the campaign through injury, with his latest foot problem coming back in March against Wolves.

Recent reports suggested that Bamford, labelled as a ‘complete mature professional’ by Bielsa, could return to the squad against Chelsea at Elland Road, however, that won’t be the case as Leeds battle to avoid the drop.

Hay, Leeds’ correspondent for The Athletic, was present at Thorp Arch on Tuesday for Marsch’s pre-Chelsea press conference and relayed an update on Twitter.

Marsch expects Bamford to return to team training by the end of the week as they continue to monitor him day by day, but he will not be back in time for Chelsea.

Not having Bamford tonight, Leeds’ main central source for goals, is obviously bad news for the Whites, and you’d expect he’ll be needed on Sunday against Brighton.

Even if Leeds manage to defeat the European Champions at Elland Road, they still won’t be out of the woods, although it could be a major step towards safety.

Defender Diego Llorente has scored Leeds’ only goal in their last three games, showing that Bamford could be key in the final two fixtures. He may not be fit enough to start, but including him on the bench and using him as an impact sub may prove vital as the relegation battle looks set to go down to the wire.

In other news: ‘Sad to report…’ – Phil Hay reacts to Leeds news as things go from bad to worse at Elland Road. 

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