Patrick Bamford isn’t likely to look back on 2022 with any kind of fondness from a career perspective. The striker has been dogged by various injuries and his form, game time and standing at Elland Road has suffered as a result.
Over the last 12 months, Bamford has made just 13 Premier League appearances and the amount of time he has spent on the sidelines means it has been over a year since he last felt the rush of finding the back of the net. That stoppage time goal against Brentford was scored on December 5 2021, but after months of fitness struggles and frustration, it feels like more than just a year ago.
In that time, Bamford has struggled with foot and hip issues, while he has also missed games through illness and earlier this month he underwent groin surgery. Jesse Marsch revealed his hope that the 29-year-old would be able to restart training this week, when speaking in his pre-match press conference last Thursday, but it remains to be seen whether Bamford will be ready to play a role against either Manchester City or Newcastle United as the calendar year draws to a close.
