Jesse Marsch will have left Elland Road on Friday night with plenty of food for thought. The Leeds United head coach had allowed a number of senior players to line up for the Under-21s against Southampton and he won’t have been disappointed with what he saw from them.
The likes of Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Junior Firpo and Crysencio Summerville used the Premier League 2 clash to pick up some much-needed minutes, while new signing Wilfried Gnonto got a run out, too. However, it was Patrick Bamford who made the biggest impression on the night as he scored three goals to help Michael Skubala’s Whites to a 6-2 win.
Bamford managed to get 75 minutes under his belt, his longest stint on the field since injuring his groin at St Mary’s Stadium against the Saints’ first-team back in August. He has made two substitute appearances since limping off on the south coast, but on Friday he took the opportunity to send a message to Marsch as he aims to win his spot back in the senior starting XI.
Read more: Sonny Perkins hailed as 'goal machine' after hitting the ground running at Leeds United
The England international was Leeds’ first-choice striker at the start of the season and for a majority of supporters that remains the case. However, the form of Rodrigo over the first few weeks of the campaign means Marsch could have a decision to make in the build-up to Leeds’ next outing against Aston Villa.
Rodrigo dislocated his shoulder while challenging Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford last month and has been receiving treatment since. The former Valencia man isn’t expected to spend too much longer on the sidelines, though, and he could even be fit enough to take on Steven Gerrard’s side at Elland Road in what will be the club’s first home game since he picked up the injury.
The four goals he scored over the opening three Premier League weekends, though, suggest he is flying high in confidence and in something close to career best form. Marsch has taken every opportunity to wax lyrical about the Spaniard and the head coach even gave him the captain’s armband in the absence of Cooper, Ayling, Stuart Dallas and Bamford.
Rodrigo has thrived in the lone striker role, a position he hasn’t always played at Elland Road, and as Leeds’ top scorer, he has a rather strong argument when it comes to reclaiming his spot, if fit enough, against Villa.
It's fair to say Bamford put his best foot forward on Friday night as he managed to score a second hat-trick at Elland Road in a matter of months, his first coming against Cagliari in a pre-season friendly in July. However, due to injury, he hasn’t been able to make a difference in a competitive senior match just yet this season.
The closest he has come to finding the back of the net was against Brentford earlier this month, fluffing his lines in front of the travelling Leeds support by missing an open goal. Bamford managed to bag 17 Premier League goals when he was fit and firing on all cylinders during Leeds’ first season back in the top flight and the hat-trick against Southampton’s B team will have him feeling like something close to his old self.
That consistency and stability will come, too, as he spends more and more time on the field. It’s an interesting debate and supporters will certainly have an opinion either way, but the decision rests in the head coach’s hands.
Marsch may well spend the next week and a half mulling over his attacking options, with youngsters Joe Gelhardt and Wilfried Gnonto also in the mix, of course. The senior men are the favourites for the role, though, and if they are both fit, they’ll be battling it out on the training ground to receive the nod.
READ NEXT
Leeds United loanee decision explained as Thorp Arch youngster challenged away from Elland Road
Leeds United denied golden opportunity amid Nottingham Forest’s poor Premier League form
Patrick Bamford identifies Leeds United youngster who finds under-21 football 'too easy'
Premier League World Cup run-ins ranked as Leeds United eye progress over key period
Wilfried Gnonto gives Leeds United supporters a flavour of what's to come in U21s bow
