Patrick Bamford says he ‘forced’ himself back too fast in bid to aid Leeds’ survival hopes

Leeds striker Patrick Bamford admits he rushed himself back from injury too quickly, but insists he did so try and help the club’s survival bid.

The 28-year-old was forced off in the first half of Leeds’ final game before the international break – a dramatic 3-2 victory at Wolves –  after aggravating a partial rupture of his foot he had just returned from.

The England forward – who was seen in tears as he sat back on the bench at Molineux – has also missed 20 Premier League games this season with additional and successive ankle and hamstring injuries. 

Bamford’s season could now be over after he ruptured his plantar fascia – the sole of his foot – and was subsequently ruled out for a minimum of six weeks. But he insists while the risk backfired, his reasons for chancing his luck were to help his side.

‘I think I was trying to get through the pain and almost forced myself back a little bit to try and help the team,’ Bamford told Sky Sports. 

‘Without wanting to sound big-headed, I knew that I had a big role to play. I was eager to get back, but it was one of them where I knew eventually it was going to go and it was just a matter of time, really.

‘When I had the partial tear and found out about that, I had the injections and it was building it back up until, really, I was comfortable training and then I eased into matches – I played a little bit in the Villa and Norwich games. But when I came off at half-time [of the Norwich game] I was in a bit of pain, so I knew it wasn’t quite right.

‘Going into the Wolves game, if I was honest with myself, I should have said no [to playing]. But then they kept asking me if I wanted to play and I said ‘yes.’

‘As soon as I started the warm-up [at Wolves], I knew. There were four actions where it started tearing and then the last one I knew something had happened.’

The England international had only just returned to action after injuring his hamstring celebrating his last-minute equaliser against Brentford at the start of December, and then picking up a foot problem in training.

Bamford also injured his ankle in September and has managed just nine Premier League appearances all season, with Leeds struggling in his absence.

He scored 17 league goals last term – only Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes found the net more regularly in the top-flight.

This led to him earning his first England cap against Andorra in early September as the Three Lions cruised to a 4-0 victory at Wembley.

He has suffered a series of setbacks since, though, and Leeds will now have to secure their Premier League status for another year without him.

But back-to-back wins prior to the international break made that goal appear realistic, after those victories against Wolves and Norwich lifted Jesse Marsch’s side seven points clear of the drop zone.

However, all four teams below them have games in hand heading into the final stretch of the season.