More mature Patrick Bamford is hard to surprise, says Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa

Bamford went into the weekend fixtures as the Premier League's joint-sixth highest scorer – joint third for Englishmen – with 11 goals. Only six had more assists.

It has surprised many because the 27-year-old came into the season written off by many with a reputation as something of a flat-track bully – a player capable of scoring goals in the Championship, but not in the top flight. That was based on various short spells in the division, usually on loan, he was unable to make the most of.

Bielsa thinks extra maturity has made the difference this time.

“I suppose it’s to do with how he’s matured professionally,” said the former Argentina and Chile coach, who is in his third season working with Bamford.

“I don’t know how he was before, but what I can tell you is that Bamford is a completely mature professional.

“What indicates whether a player has matured is the amount of attention he pays when he plays. It’s very difficult for him not to be focused on the game and it’s very difficult to catch him by surprise.

“The other aspect is that he gets the best out of himself.

“The players in the best teams in the world – not the best players, but the players who are always at 100 per cent – there are very few situations in games which surprise them or are superior to them.

“He obtained those two characteristics by becoming more mature. It’s not so frequent in young players but in those who have capitalised on their experiences.

“Bamford, it seems to me, is a player who has taken the correct conclusions from his career. He has been like this since I met him. But I don’t know what he was like before.”

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