Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has claimed the timing of Patrick Bamford's return from injury following the exit of Marcelo Bielsa is 'interesting'.
Bielsa was unable to call upon the forward for the final 12 games of his tenure but he was named as a substitute for the newly-appointed Jesse Marsch's first game in charge of the club.
The absence of the 28-year-old has certainly been felt at Elland Road and the Argentine regularly deployed winger Daniel James as a forward in Bamford's absence.
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Speaking to Football Insider, Mills said: "It’s interesting timing that, unfortunately, Bielsa has gone and he’s available the following week
"There has been one or two people talking about the levels of fitness Bielsa wants to get back into the first team. He wants them to be able to play murderball at 120 per cent and get all the right stats to get back into the team.
"Now, rightly or wrongly, that’s when some players break down because you push them too hard. Some managers allow a player to be at 80 per cent and grow their way back into the first team.
"These players are not a million miles away from fitness. Throw in Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper and that’s a huge bonus, they’ve been a massive miss since they’ve been out."
Cooper and Phillips were also absent for the latter stages of Bielsa's reign but did not return for the defeat to Leicester City, although both have been pictured working on grass.
Bielsa's heir, former RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg boss Marsch, will be hoping he is able to utilise Bamford in the run-in as the Whites try stave off relegation to the Championship.
Leeds have not scored in any of their last three Premier League matches and currently sit just two points above 18th-placed Burnley, who have played one less game.
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