"Unfair" - David Prutton makes Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford claim ahead of Leeds United play-off final v Southampton | OneFootball

David Prutton believes that it would be "unfair" if Patrick Bamford started Leeds United's play-off final match against Southampton ahead of Joel Piroe, after the Dutchman's performance against Norwich City in the semi-final second leg.

Two completely different Leeds sides played at Carrow Road and Elland Road against their manager's old side. The first game between the two sides, in East Anglia, saw two tentative units try to lay a glove on one another to no real success.

The visitors, who had missed out on automatic promotion back to the top flight on the final day of the season, played more like an animal that was on its last legs, rather than a wounded one.

There was no bite or ferocity to their attacks, and the game slowly petered out until the final whistle came, ending the match in a 0-0 bore draw.

The two squads returned to Yorkshire later that week to determine who would be making the trip to Wembley on Sunday, and Leeds manhandled David Wagner's side, handing down a 4-0 drubbing to the Canaries.

Daniel Farke only made one change for the second leg; he brought in Piroe to replace the injury-ridden Sam Byram. Archie Gray therefore dropped back from attacking midfield into right-back, and Georginio Rutter occupied the teenager's former spot.

It worked wonders, unlocking the best of many of the players on the pitch, and they showed everyone why they amassed 90 points in the regular season.

The German may have a dilemma for the game against the Saints at the home of English football. Patrick Bamford could be fit enough to return to the squad. The striker said, on the My Mate's a Footballer podcast, that he's not 100% sure whether he will be, but that it is possible.

This would leave Farke with a choice between the 24-year-old and the 30-year-old as to who gets that starting number nine spot. Prutton believes it should be an easier decision than it may seem.

David Prutton's Patrick Bamford, Joel Piroe play-off final verdict

The pundit believes that it would be "unfair" on Piroe to drop him for Bamford for the final, because of how he played, and what he was able to do for others, in that second leg against Norwich.

"To be that emphatic in that game and then completely change it up (for Bamford), I think would be slightly unfair on Joel," said Prutton, via the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"It’s got to be the best team to face Southampton. I would leave it as it is because of the way that they approached the game.

"There are fine margins between a Patrick and a Joel leading the line but I think given how good he was, what it brought out of Georginio (Rutter) and the players around them, I think you leave it as it is."

Joel Piroe starting just makes sense for Leeds United

How often do we see teams at Wembley, who aren't used to a pitch that big, that pick up injuries? Quite a lot. It happened to both sides in the League One play-off final last weekend. There's just not much point in risking Bamford's fitness in this game.

The one argument for him starting would be if you believed that there is such a chasm between him and Piroe, in terms of ability and what they can offer the team, that you risk it. But there really isn't.

Despite leaning towards Bamford for much of 2024, Farke also hasn't shown a desire to start the former England international whenever he is fit enough to as previous managers did. There's really very little evidence, especially when you consider what happened last time out, to suggest the Leeds boss should pick him to start over his Dutch counterpart. There should be enough faith in Piroe after a very decent season.