Gutting news: Leeds dealt "hammer blow" ahead of Villa clash, Bielsa will be fuming - opinion

Leeds United will still be without Patrick Bamford on their return to Premier League action this week.

The Yorkshire giants head to the Midlands to face Aston Villa on Wednesday night for what will be their first outing since the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United two-and-a-half weeks ago.

“Bamford has not improved and still struggles with the problem in the bottom of his foot,” revealed BBC journalist Adam Pope following Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference, where the Argentine head coach expressed his worry about the 28-year-old’s injury.

“He hasn’t played for 15 games now, how can I not worry?” he said.

“He continues with the problems at the bottom of his foot and he hasn’t started jogging. His situation continues the same way and we can’t predict when he will return because it depends on the pain going away so he can start jogging again.

“Since the injury started the pain hasn’t gone away.”

It’s the England international’s third different problem this season, something that has kept him out for 17 of their last 18 league games.

Indeed, since the middle of September, he has played only 22 minutes when he came on as a substitute to score a very important equaliser against Brentford on December 5th.

Of course, this has evidently left Bielsa concerned, if not absolutely furious as he continues to be without last season’s top goalscorer. His presence up top has been sorely missed, largely due to the lack of alternatives.

Bielsa does not have another senior striker at the club, leaving him with the choice of deploying a winger – as he has done with Daniel James – or young forward Joe Gelhardt up top.

LeedsLive journalist Conor McGilligan has since described the situation as a “hammer blow.”

“He’s only played five games. Came back