Leeds United pair Patrick Bamford and Harry Gray run-in involvement chances assessed after development — YEP 27/3/25

By Graham Smyth

Whites boss Daniel Farke has been discussing his Leeds United striker options.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke says Patrick Bamford and Harry Gray both have chances of involvement but he's in no rush to throw either striker into his starting line-up.

The international break has seen the attacking pair in action on the training pitches at Thorp Arch.

Bamford, 31, is available once again after a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since New Year's Day, while 16-year-old Gray is training with the senior side and scored in an inter-squad game last weekend.

Farke's attacking options were the envy of almost all other Championship clubs even while Bamford was out injured. Joel Piroe has 15 goals and six assists with Mateo Joseph as his main competition for the number 9 role, while wingers Dan James, Manor Solomon, Willy Gnonto and Largie Ramazani would walk into many of the division's sides.

But Leeds' German manager has often lauded the experience and quality of Bamford, who plays the centre forward role differently to Piroe and has previously fired the Whites into the top flight.

The veteran and Gray, who is yet to make his senior debut, are considered by Farke to be options for the team just like anyone else currently in senior training but he caveats that position.

"All the players who are involved in our team training have the chance to make the squad and if they make the squad, they have also the chance to start, yes, that's quite sure," he said.

"We must not forget about Harry, for example, such a young player has never played the game on senior level. Then to say, come on, he's right now our starter, while having the best goalscorer in the league with Joel Piroe, while having the much sought-after Mateo Joseph, while having the experience of Patrick - it would be a bit too soon.

“But Harry trains with us and improves. And it is important for him, because the finishing situations on senior level are different to youth level, so you always have to adapt a little bit and for that, we want to involve him as soon as possible. But till he is then really ready to start games for us, it will last a while."

Bamford, meanwhile, is a player Farke believes would have made the difference between automatic promotion and the play-offs Leeds had to face last season.

The once-capped England striker missed the final two league games with a knee injury that also ruled him out of the play-off campaign.

That problem disrupted his pre-season preparations for the current season and with Piroe and Joseph getting more minutes he has had to settle for 10 brief cameos off the bench in the Championship.

His New Year's Day hamstring injury has kept him sidelined up until now and that time spent out of action has to be taken into consideration as Farke plots when and where to use his most experienced number 9.

"Patrick, he has experience, he has a quality and I spoke a lot about that," he said. "Fitness level is more or less the most important thing for for him, I think each of the training days on the training pitches is beneficial for him.

“But right now it's also a fact that he was out quite long this season, two times more or less with major injuries. He was out more or less since January but I like also how hard he works on the training pitch, and each and every day he edges also bit bit closer.

“I'm glad to have Patrick back available, but we also will have to keep in mind that he's out more or less since three months after his last injury, and for that, you need to find a good balance."