Don Goodman has claimed that Patrick Bamford’s return from injury is only going to help Leeds United get more out of Mateo Joseph in the coming weeks.
Bamford missed three Championship games on the trot due to an injury before making the bench for Leeds’ 2-0 win over Cardiff City in Wales over the weekend.
Daniel Farke has placed his trust in Joseph to be the number 9 for Leeds this season after the club opted against signing a striker in the summer transfer window.
The Leeds boss has not been keen to use Joel Piroe in the number 9 role and Bamford’s injury issues have made him unreliable given Farke wants consistency in selection.
However, Goodman is insistent that despite the veteran striker’s recent record, Bamford’s return is only going to help Leeds and Farke going forward.
Pundit believes Bamford’s return will sharpen minds at Leeds United
He believes Bamford’s return is a massive boost for the Leeds squad as it increases the competition for places, especially for the number 9 role.
Piroe has scored after coming on from the bench and with the Englishman returning, Goodman feels Joseph will be forced to sharpen his mind and step up to the plate.
The Spaniard has scored just once this season but the pundit believes his overall performance levels should delight the Leeds manager.
“Patrick coming back is brilliant because, ask any player or manager, they’ll tell you that serious competition for places does sharpen your mind”, he told MOT Leeds News.
“That’s a win-win for Leeds, and while Joseph hasn’t scored many goals, his performance levels would have pleased Daniel Farke.”
Farke is likely to persist with Joseph as his number 9 going forward and many feel despite the lack of goals, the Spaniard does a lot more for the team compared to the other options in the squad.
Piroe has given the Leeds boss a selection headache with his goals from the bench and the German now has one more option in Bamford.
