Patrick Bamford wasn’t part of the squad that lost 1-0 to Burnley on Saturday at Elland Road. According to one journalist, the veteran forward’s unexpected absence could force the Whites to reset their expectations of him.
Mateo Joseph has shown a lot of potential, but relying on the 20-year-old to carry the goal-scoring burden might be asking too much at this stage. As a result, Football Insider reported on Sunday that Leeds will support manager Daniel Farke with the funds to bring in a new striker in January.
However, a move for Sunderland’s Eliezer Mayenda seems unlikely, as the Black Cats are reluctant to strengthen a potential promotion rival.
Leeds are being extra careful with Patrick Bamford
The Whites likely know that they will not have goal-scoring help from here until December 31, so they have to ensure that Bamford remains fit until the January window opens and they can assess their options.
With Leeds being extra cautious, Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross weighed in on the player not being on the squad for the marquee matchup against Burnley on Saturday.
 “It was a surprise to see he was missing from those players getting off the United bus,” Cross wrote. “Farke, thankfully, confirmed there was no new injury in his post-match press conference. It is simply a case of managing Bamford even more carefully than before.
“The 31-year-old was not even considered worth the risk of five minutes from the bench at the end of the match. It again resets expectations on where United’s number nine is at and when fans can realistically expect him to start influencing matches for them again. Can he be a factor before the next international break?”
This past summer, the Whites lost many goals with the departures of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham United and Georginio Rutter to Brighton & Hove Albion. In the match against Burnley, Leeds really missed the individual brilliance of their players on the attack from last season.
It will be interesting to see if the lack of those moments of brilliance could make this first half of the season challenging for Farke and his team.
