Patrick Bamford to make Leeds return against Aston Villa

Patrick Bamford is poised to help kick-start Leeds’ Premier League survival bid in Thursday’s home game against Aston Villa.

Bamford, sidelined since early December due to a foot injury, will make his long-awaited return off the substitutes’ bench in head coach Jesse Marsch’s first game in charge at Elland Road.

Marsch said: “Patrick will play for sure tomorrow. He won’t start, but he’ll be ready from the bench and we’re excited to have him back in the team. I think he can give us a real boost.”

Bamford, Leeds’ top goalscorer for the past two seasons, returned to the squad as an unused substitute in last week’s 1-0 defeat at Leicester.

The 28-year-old has been restricted to just six Premier League appearances this season due to successive ankle, hamstring and foot injuries.

Marsch, who replaced Marcelo Bielsa at the start of last week, added: “The physical team told me what his loading has been like over the past six, seven, eight months.

“With the different kinds of injuries he’s had, he hasn’t trained hard often and certainly hasn’t played much. So even getting him back, it was the reason why I was hesitant against Leicester.

The effect he will have on the group will be relatively massive- Jesse Marsch on Bamford's imminent return

“I just felt we had more to lose than gain in that moment and knowing how important Patrick is, even for me from a personality perspective – he’s a positive guy, he comes with energy, he works really hard.

“The effect he’ll have on the group will be relatively massive and I think we need to make sure we handle his return in a way that only makes him stronger and better.”

Marsch faces a tough task to retain Leeds’ top-flight status. The narrow defeat at Leicester was their fifth straight