Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford could be more susceptible to knocks in the second half of the campaign after minor groin surgery has led to him missing “another block of training” for Jesse Marsch’s side, who are on a mid-season training camp in Spain, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The forward has struggled with a multitude of knocks over the past two seasons at Elland Road.

Leeds United injury news – Patrick Bamford

According to LeedsLive, Bamford’s inguinal canal operation in Munich is understood to have been successful, with the striker to head back to the UK to rehabilitate before returning to training later in the month.

The club themselves suggested that the 29-year-old is expected to return within two weeks, as the Premier League side prepare for the second half of the campaign, beginning with the visit of champions Manchester City on the evening of the 28^th December.

The layoff will only add to the pressure that the Grantham-born striker will be feeling, with journalist Dean Jones previously telling GiveMeSport that the club may have to invest in another centre-forward to take the burden off of the former Chelsea man’s shoulders.

And Dinnery believes that Bamford could now be more prone to minor injuries heading into the second half of the campaign, with the number nine set to miss at least two weeks worth of training in the build-up to the Premier League’s return.

What has Dinnery said about Bamford?

Dinnery told GiveMeSport: “The concern is he’s missing another block of training, a key cornerstone of this second half of the campaign where you'd like your players to get that load in the legs, which will make them robust enough to see them through the second half of the campaign.

“Because he's missed that, the worry is once he does return, the chances are he's going to be more susceptible to picking up those little knocks and niggles again.”

What next for Bamford and Leeds?

With Leeds sitting in 15^th place and two points above the drop zone in the Premier League, the Whites will be hoping that Bamford can return to the side and start firing in the goals, with the centre-forward having only been able to provide a singular assist in 10 Premier League appearances this campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

However, the same stats provider does also show that he has only started four games this season, owing to the multiple injuries he has suffered since August.

An average Sofascore rating of 6.40 for his performances in the top-flight this season suggests that the former Middlesbrough striker has struggled with the weight of expectation when he has been able to play for Marsch’s side, though this is to be expected having struggled to get a run of games under his belt this season.

Therefore, there is no doubt that this next injury setback will have come as a blow to Bamford, who will have been hoping to get multiple weeks of training in his legs as he prepares for what could be a huge second half of the season, in the context of his career at Leeds.