Pundit Alan Hutton has made a claim on injured Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Bamford set to return to the pitch this week
Bamford and Leeds have both had seasons to forget this year, with the striker limited to just seven Premier League starts. The last of those came back in March against Wolves, where the 28-year-old ruptured his foot.
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Jesse Marsch was hopeful Bamford could return for the final two games of the season and provided an update before the defeat to Manchester City, revealing he was due to return to the pitches at Thorp Arch this week.
The Latest: Hutton reacts
Hutton, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI about Bamford and a possible return to action after hearing the update from Thorp Arch.
He admitted he understands that a fully fit Bamford would help Marsch massively, however, Hutton feels the forward could be used just as an ‘impact sub’, which would do him the ‘world of good’.
“I just think don’t rush it. With everything that he’s gone through, everything that’s happened this season, you’ve got four games left.
“I understand that having a fully fit Bamford who’s firing would help you, there’s no doubt about that. Can he come on and affect games, if he’s fit and ready, for maybe the last 15, 20 minutes?
“I think that’s probably the part that he will play moving forward. It will be very difficult just to throw him in at this level, against the teams they’re coming up against.
“I think if you can get an impact sub out of him, I think that would do him the world of good.”
The Verdict: Needed?
Marsch may have been hoping that he wouldn’t need to call upon Bamford after he suffered another injury back in March with the Whites all but safe, however, it looks as if he will be required.
The Whites are in serious trouble with just four Premier League games remaining and it looks as if they need to pick up points against Arsenal and Chelsea over the next seven days.
Having Bamford back to use as an impact substitute, as Hutton suggested, could be a huge boost in the club’s attempts to avoid the drop, especially with Leeds failing to score in their last two.
In other news: Leeds want to sign 'X-factor' attacker despite possible relegation.