Leeds United have not got players who are ‘quite good enough to step up’ in the absence of star striker Patrick Bamford, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Bamford has endured a torrid campaign due to several injury issues, playing just 580 minutes of first-team football throughout the entirety of 2021/22.

What is the latest news involving Bamford?

After registering an impressive 17 goals and eight assists in 38 Premier League appearances last term, Leeds were surely hoping that Bamford could produce a similar performance this time around.

And after racking up three goal contributions in the west Yorkshire outfit’s opening five top-flight fixtures, it seemed as though it would be another fruitful season for the 28-year-old.

However, an ankle injury ruled Bamford, who is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, out from the end of September until he made his return as a substitute against Brentford on 5^th December.

It seemed as though the England international’s comeback was just as he dreamt the night before after the clinical forward poked home a last-minute equaliser, but in a cruel twist of fate, he pulled his hamstring in the wild celebrations.

Bamford then had to wait patiently on the sidelines for another three months until he featured against Aston Villa last month, yet a fresh foot problem picked up after just 23 minutes against Wolves has seen him ruled out for another six weeks.

What has Jones said about Bamford?

In the Chelsea academy graduate's absence, the likes of Tyler Roberts, Rodrigo and Dan James have started upfront with little success.

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The trio have notched up just 10 league goals in a combined 65 outings, and Jones doesn’t believe Leeds’ current back-up options are good enough to fill in for Bamford.

He told GiveMeSport: “They've got players that are good, but they've not got players that are quite good enough to step up. And I think it's finding the right fit for them that is going to be the most important.”

How much have Leeds missed Bamford?

Leeds took the Premier League by storm last season after ending a 16-year exodus, finishing in ninth-place and scoring 62 goals along the way, four more than European champions Chelsea.

In the current campaign, though, the Elland Road side have found the back of the net just 35 times in their 31 top-flight fixtures to date.

No-one within Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad has reached double figures yet, something Bamford did by December last time around, highlighting just how pivotal his enforced absence has been.