Chelsea have been boosted ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with Leeds after Patrick Bamford appeared to rule himself out of the match.
Thomas Tuchel’s side head to Elland Road on Sunday looking to move on from last weekend’s fierce London derby draw with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, with their manager potentially missing as he faces a possible touchline ban after being charged by the Football Association (FA) with misconduct following his angry bust-ups with Antonio Conte.
Leeds, meanwhile, should really be approaching a high-profile meeting between old rivals looking to protect a 100 per cent start to the new season, only for Jesse Marsch’s side to blow a two-goal lead in their draw at Southampton that followed an opening win over Wolves.
Bamford started both of those matches after missing much of last season with hamstring, ankle and foot injuries, though was withdrawn before the half-hour mark at St Mary’s due to an adductor problem.
And the one-cap England forward has now confirmed that he is unlikely to be ready to face former club Chelsea this weekend as he continues to negotiate a tough path back to full fitness after a torrid 2021-22 campaign.
Asked how he was feeling during an appearance on the official Leeds United podcast, Bamford said: “Alright to be fair. I’ve got a slight groin injury, so I’ll probably miss maybe the Chelsea game, but I think it’s just part and parcel of coming back.
“I barely played or trained last year. I reckon the amount of times I trained from when I first got injured until the end of the season was probably less than 10, actually with the team.
“It’s basically like a whole year out. I think it’s just getting used to it again. Until Saturday when I just felt it a little bit, I was feeling alright.”
