Joe Gelhardt of Leeds United appears to be a peripheral player at best for Daniel Farke, and his place in the team is under jeopardy as Patrick Bamford nears a return.
The Whites face another vital encounter next week, and Daniel Farke will be looking for greater consistency from his team after encouraging indications following the international break.
Injury additions will undoubtedly bolster his squad depth even more in the coming weeks, after a shaky start to the season.
When will Patrick Bamford return?
Patrick Bamford wasn’t quite well enough to play in either of this week’s games against Hull or Watford, but Farke had “good news” on the striker on Tuesday (via @LUFC):
It remains to be seen if he will be able to play against Southampton next week, but the indicators from Farke are encouraging, considering that he has participated in team training all week.
Where will Leeds finish in the 23/24 season?
How does this affect Joe Gelhardt?
Adding to Leeds’ depth each week will satisfy Farke, but the return of Bamford is a source of concern for Joe Gelhardt.
The 21-year-old attacker played extensively early in the season while the team remained very small, but his significance has waned as players returned and were signed.
Couple that with his less-than-convincing outings here and there, and you may have the most replaceable bench player to make room for the number nine, or perhaps Ian Poveda.
In any case, Gelhardt is unlikely to receive many chances now that Bamford is back on track, and he may be jealous of Sam Greenwood’s loan transfer to Middlesbrough.
