Premier preparations start early for Bamford

Patrick Bamford appears to be wasting little time in gearing up for next season as the Leeds United striker hopes for a repeat of his previous return to the Premier League.

- by Harriet Sutton

Bamford endured another frustrating campaign at Elland Road as a raft of injury issues kept him from playing regularly during Leeds' second Championship title win in five years. The 31-year-old was effectively third-choice striker under Daniel Farke and failed to score all season.

A pre-season injury last summer had Bamford on the back foot before competitive football had even started and a hamstring issue in August proved the precursor to another year spent mostly on the sidelines. But he appears keen on kicking off the 2025/26 campaign on much stronger foundations.