Patrick Bamford: Leeds players returning from injury will boost promotion bid
Patrick Bamford has scored three goals in nine appearances for Leeds this season
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford says the players the promotion hopefuls have coming back from injury can make up for the lack of January signings.
Leeds brought in only one first-team player in the window - goalkeeper Kiko Casilla - after a move for Swansea winger Daniel James fell through.
Bamford made his own return from a knee injury in Saturday's 3-1 defeat by new Championship leaders Norwich.
"There are a lot of boys to come back and that can lift people," he said.
"I saw the fans made a bit of a fuss that nobody was really brought in in January but we've got players like me and Izzy (Brown) who have missed a lot of the season coming back in.
"I think that, having missed a big chunk of the season, I should be fresh when a lot of other players are feeling it in their legs.
"I think it's a boost for the team morale to see players coming back, especially after losing at the weekend.
"The boys have done so well given there's been a lot of first-team players missing and it'll fill them with confidence seeing lads getting back fit."
The 25-year-old joined the Whites from Saturday's opponents Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to £10m in August.
Bamford, who scored a hat-trick for Boro in a 3-0 win for the hosts in the game between the teams at the Riverside in 2017-18, is expecting a close game.
"I think I owe the Leeds fans three goals," he said.
"From what I've heard they're playing quite defensively this season whereas our style is very attacking. They play more direct and we're more of a possession-based team.
"It'll be a good game for the fans to watch and hopefully they won't be able to cancel us out. It might come down to a moment of magic."
Knee injury 'more common for people in car crashes'
Bamford's start to his Leeds career has been blighted by injuries.
The former England Under-21 man is yet to start a league game after suffering a serious knee injury in an under-23 match in September that kept him out for three months before re-injuring the same knee in training in December.
"I landed on the floor in a kneeling position but it was just the impact. The injury I did is actually more common for people in a car crash or in rugby - you never hear of it in football," he told BBC Radio Leeds.
"You take things for granted, it's difficult to sit down on the toilet with a leg brace on and I had to shower with it on. I had to learn to walk again once I had it taken off.
"I had a couple of bad days during the rehab where I was just like 'I don't want to do anything'."
He added: "When I did it the first time I tested it out and it wasn't painful. When I did it the second time it was the worst pain I've ever had. I was on the floor and couldn't move."
Source: bbc.com
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