Leeds United star won't look back fondly on Norwich City and Burnley stints: View | OneFootball

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford will be hoping to fire the club back to the Premier League this season.

It has been a tough few years for Bamford, with a host of injury problems and a loss of form, but he has enjoyed an excellent start to 2024.

Bamford was kept out of the team by Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter in the first half of the season, but he has starred since regaining his place in the line-up, and his goals have been crucial to the Whites' automatic promotion push.

The 30-year-old has established a reputation as a prolific striker in recent years, but there were question marks over whether Bamford would fulfil his potential earlier in his career after some tough loan spells.

Bamford joined Chelsea from Nottingham Forest in January 2012, and while he never made a senior appearance for the Blues, he had a number of temporary stints away from Stamford Bridge.

After strong spells with Milton Keynes Dons, Derby County and Middlesbrough, Bamford was handed an opportunity in the Premier League with Crystal Palace in July 2015, but he failed to score in nine appearances for the Eagles, and he terminated his loan in December of that year.

If Bamford was disappointed by his time at Selhurst Park, his next two loan moves to Norwich City and Burnley would prove to be even more frustrating for the striker.

Patrick Bamford's difficult loan spells at Norwich City and Burnley

After Bamford's loan at Palace came to an end, he made the temporary move to Norwich in January 2016.

Bamford arrived at Carrow Road at a time when the Canaries were sitting just above the relegation zone in the Premier League, but there was hope that his goals could help keep the club in the top flight.

However, Bamford made just seven appearances for Norwich without scoring, with only two of those coming from the start, and manager Alex Neil frequently left the striker out of the squad entirely towards the latter end of the season, despite his team struggling for goals on their way to relegation.

Despite not scoring in 16 games during his spells with Palace and Norwich in the 2015-16 campaign, Bamford secured another Premier League move that summer, this time joining Burnley on loan.

Bamford found his minutes restricted at Turf Moor, making just six substitute appearances for the Clarets, and he revealed in February 2021 that he clashed with manager Sean Dyche over his privileged upbringing.

"It wasn’t an issue at Burnley until I started asking why I wasn’t playing," Bamford told the Daily Mail. "And then the manager started citing other reasons: "born with a silver spoon in your mouth", "listening to too many people influencing you outside of football".

"When I asked for an example, the answer was "who did you arrive with when you signed on your first day?" I said "my mum and dad" and he said "exactly". Then I started getting defensive. I didn’t think that was right."

Unsurprisingly, Bamford was recalled from his loan at Burnley in January 2017, and his career looked to be at a crossroads as he re-joined Middlesbrough on a permanent basis later that month for a fee in the region of £5.5 million.

Bamford was unable to prevent Boro's relegation to the Championship in the 2016-17 season, and he was deployed in an unfamiliar wide role by Garry Monk in the first half of the following campaign, but his career was reignited after Tony Pulis arrived at the Riverside Stadium in December 2017.

After being moved back up front, Bamford enjoyed a strong end to the season as Boro reached the play-offs, and he finished the campaign with 13 goals and one assist in 44 appearances.

Bamford's excellent form prompted Leeds to sign him in July 2018 for a fee of £7 million, rising to £10 million, and while there were some question marks over the money the Whites paid for him, he certainly silenced the doubters as he became a key member of Marcelo Bielsa's side.

After thriving for Leeds as they won promotion to the Premier League in the 2019-20 season, and seamlessly making the step up to the top flight the following year, Bamford was called up to the England squad for the first time, making his debut for the Three Lions in the 4-0 win over Andorra at Wembley in September 2021.

Injury problems plagued Bamford over the next two years, but it seems he is now getting back to his best, and while he still divides opinion among some Whites supporters, there is no doubt that he will be vital to the club's promotion hopes in the remainder of this season.

Bamford deserves huge credit for overcoming the challenging loan spells he experienced earlier in his career, and the significant fee Leeds splashed out for him almost five years ago has been worth every penny.