Leeds United's Patrick Bamford boost with striker expected to face Fulham

INJURY: But Leeds United expect Patrick Bamford will be able to play through his hip problem

The boost is not only good news for the Whites but for the player himself, with the striker a possibility for Gareth Southgate's next England squad.

Bamford is Leeds's top-scorer this season with 13 goals this season, his first as a Premier League regular. Bamford has only missed one league match in the past two seasons, and been substitute for another too.

“We think that yes he will play on Friday,” said Marcelo Bielsa when asked about the 27-year-old's fitness after he went off injured against Chelsea at the weekend. “He has a knock on his hip that is painful but we don't think it's going to make him miss the game.

“(Liam) Cooper is sick, (Lief) Davis has a small problem which is nothing serious. Rodrigo had a muscle injury on Wednesday in training and I don't know if he's going to be available for the game on Friday.”

Pascal Struijk is expected to be fit to play after standing in for Cooper against Chelsea. Cooper was left out of Scotland's squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers because he was not going to be available for at least the first two of their three matches.

His absence is also helped by the fact Robin Koch is closing in on a first-team return. The German centre-back, who was an unused substitute against Chelsea, played for the under-23s in midweek. He has been out since December with a knee injury.

If Bamford does not receive a first international call-up when Southgate names his squad on Thursday, it will allow him a couple of weeks to rest his sore hip.

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