Leeds United head coach Javi Gracia has revealed that Patrick Bamford was left out of his matchday squad to face Chelsea due to a leg injury.
The Whites forward has had to deal with numerous issues over the past few months and had groin surgery over the winter break in order to correct issues that had stopped him from returning sooner.
But despite his woes this season, he's still managed 10 goal involvements in his 20 appearances in all competitions, meaning fans will be hoping that Bamford won't join strike partner Rodrigo on the injury table for too long.
READ MORE: Chelsea vs Leeds United LIVE: Confirmed team news as Patrick Bamford missing from matchday squad
January transfer window signing Georginio Rutter is ready to step in to replace Bamford in this afternoon's fixture but Gracia claimed that the 29-year-old shouldn't be out for too long and his exclusion was simply a protective measure.
"It's something with his leg, and it's better to protect him a little bit," Gracia told Sky Sports before the Chelsea game kicked off. "We believe he should be ready for our next game.
"Yeah [we have struggled to score], but we work with confidence. All of our players need to be scoring goals, not only our strikers. That's the only way to achieve our target at the end of the season.
"It's something that all of our players must contribute, not just the strikers."
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