New Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch says the return of Patrick Bamford is a 'positive' for the club, as he explained his team selection for his first match in charge of the club.
The post-Marcelo Bielsa era begins at the King Power Stadium this afternoon, with Marsch's Leeds side going up against Leicester City.
Marsch made two changes from Bielsa's final starting XI, with Diego Llorente and Adam Forshaw dropping out of the XI, to be replaced by Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich. Forshaw makes the bench, while Llorente is absent.
"Diego [Llorente]'s not available and Adam didn't train every day this week so we didn't feel like he was fully at 100 per cent and we wanted to try to put as strong and healthier team on the pitch as we possibly could, " Marsch explained during his pre-match interview with BT Sports.
The inclusion of Patrick Bamford, who has missed 20 of Leeds' last 21 matches, on the bench is a huge boost for the new boss.
"He's not fully fit, but he's back at least on the pitch and able to give us some minutes," he added. "If he plays today it won't be for a major spell but nonetheless, it's a very positive sign for all of us to have him back."
Marsch also gave some insight into how his side will set out.
"You could call it a 4-2-2-2, you could call it a little bit of a 4-2-3-1," he explained. "We'll look like different things at different moments. Again, for me, the formations aren't nearly as important as the principles and behaviours on the pitch.
"This group went through things tactically a lot this week, was on the pitch with each other and understood the relationships which we're trying to create, so I feel good about the group and I'm excited to see them play."
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