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.
