According to Phil Hay, Leeds United are waiting to find out whether Patrick Bamford and Sam Bryam will be fit to face Plymouth on Saturday.
Bamford, 30, was injured during the pre-match warm-up at Swansea on Tuesday night (13 February) and had to be replaced by Joel Piroe in Daniel Farke’s starting lineup.
Byram, 30, was not in the Swansea squad and has not played a game since being forced off injured 18 minutes into a win over Birmingham on January 1.
Hay, an Athletic journalist, claimed that Leeds are still unsure of their position ahead of their travel to Home Park to face Plymouth this Saturday (17 February).
“It is true that his squad is in very good shape right now,” Hay stated on The Square Ball Podcast on Friday (16 February, 16m05s).
“I know there’s Bamford’s injury and they’re waiting to hear on Sam Byram, but it’s really more of a challenge for [Farke] to select who not to play than who to play.
“I think if you’re Swansea and you see Bamford disappear in the warm-up and then it’s Piroe who’s brought on and scores after 10 minutes, you kind of realise you’re outmatched.”
Will Patrick Bamford play against Plymouth?
It appears unlikely that Bamford will be ready to start against Plymouth this weekend.
He may be in the squad, but Piroe’s goal-scoring return to the starting lineup against his former club Swansea reveals Leeds are in good hands with him up front, so there’s no purpose in endangering Bamford.
The former Chelsea centre-forward has been in excellent form in recent weeks.
Before sitting out the win in South Wales, he had four goals and one assist in six Championship appearances, including a winner against Norwich on January 24.
Unfortunately, the former England international is prone to injuries, which is why he missed over two months of activity at the start of the Championship season.
Farke and the Leeds medical team must monitor him closely, and even if he is fit to play against Plymouth, he should most likely sit out or be placed on the bench.
Leeds do not want him to suffer a last-minute setback that eliminates him from the run-in.
