---
title: "Leeds United: Agbonlahor blames Bielsa for Bamford injury"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/leeds-united-agbonlahor-blames-bielsa-for-bamford-injury/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "George McGibbon"
section: "Leeds United"
published: "2021-03-17T17:05:25Z"
modified: "2021-03-17T17:05:25Z"
---

# Leeds United: Agbonlahor blames Bielsa for Bamford injury

**In a recent interview, former Premier League forward, Gabriel Agbonlahor, took aim at the Leeds United manager, Marcelo Bielsa, for his part in Patrick Bamford’s injury.**

Having [started all 28](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/patrick-bamford/leistungsdaten/spieler/183334) of Leeds’ Premier League fixtures so far this season, playing [94% of all the possible minutes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/patrick-bamford/profil/spieler/183334), Bamford was [withdrawn due to injury](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/spielbericht/index/spielbericht/3429767) after just 35 minutes in the club’s recent 0-0 draw with Chelsea, after [initially attempting to play on](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/patrick-bamford-injury-leeds-united-20190061) through the pain.

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And, in a recent interview with [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/agbonlahor-bielsa-100-to-blame-for-bamford-injury-at-leeds-as-timeframe-touted/), the former Aston Villa striker, Agbonlahor, took aim at Bielsa for failing to give the Leeds forward a rest at any point over the course of this season, suggesting that the 65-year-old is 100 per cent to blame for the 27-year-old’s injury.

He said: “\[Bielsa is\] 100 per cent \[to blame\]. You can’t play every game of the season, very rarely. Maybe when you’re young, \[but\] he’s getting older, Bamford.

“You need to have a little rest. Training is so demanding for them, it’s inevitable he’s going to pick up injuries. I’m sure he’ll be having a little rest now to recover from his injury before he comes back into the side.”

\[freshpress-poll id=”349676″\]

### Transfer Tavern Take

While Bielsa has both Rodrigo and Joe Gelhardt as [centre-forward options](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leeds-united/kadernachposition/verein/399) in his first-team squad aside from Bamford, Rodrigo has [often been playing in an attacking midfield role](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/rodrigo/leistungsdaten/spieler/131505) this season, while 18-year-old Gelhardt is [yet to make his senior debut](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-gelhardt/debuets/spieler/503980) for the Whites.

As such, perhaps Leeds’ failure to bring in experienced backup for Bamford last summer does lay at the feet of the Argentine, however, considering the remarkable form the 27-year-old has been in this season, scoring [13 goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/patrick-bamford/leistungsdaten/spieler/183334) over his 28 league appearances, it is questionable whether he would be dropped by Bielsa even if there was the option of a direct replacement.

***In other news: Leeds are ‘thinking seriously’ about making this key addition – find out more [here](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/leeds-whites-thinking-seriously-about-signing-backup-to-kalvin-phillips/)!***