Leeds striker Patrick Bamford has represented England at various youth levels all the way up to the under-21s. However, he is still waiting for his first cap for the senior team. In 2019 he held talks to play for Ireland, but has yet to appear for the country, leaving the door open for England.

After the form the 27-year-old has been in at the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season, scoring seven goals in his opening 10 matches, Bamford is making a strong case for being called up to the Three Lions squad in the near future.

The Leeds man will have the European Championship next summer as his target. If he does make it to the tournament, the delay of the finals by 12 months will have worked in his favour as this season is the opportunity for the striker to prove to Gareth Southgate that he has the class to play at the highest level.

Bamford netted 16 times in the Championship last year but he has really enjoyed his return to the Premier League. His side are now 5/4 in the Premier League betting for a top half finish this season, a position which would far exceed any expectations the club had before the campaign began. The Leeds striker has more than played his role in that success over the last few months.

Bielsa has shown a lot of confidence in the Englishman, who has been with Leeds since making the move from Middlesbrough in 2018. Bamford is playing for his fifth club in the Premier League after various loan moves earlier in his career. Although the Argentine signed Rodrigo for a club-record fee of £27 million in the summer, it is the Leeds number nine who has played the lion’s share of minutes up front.

Calvert-Lewin Proving What Is Possible

Bamford only needs to look at the opportunity which has been handed to Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin this year to see what is possible. After some excellent form for the Toffees, Southgate called up the striker and he has made the most of it, scoring in friendlies against Wales and Ireland.

Although Calvert-Lewin is a few years younger than Bamford, it shows the England manager is prepared to give players a chance, if they are performing well for their respective clubs. This can also be said for Southampton’s Danny Ings and Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham.

With Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, England are not short of options up front. Bamford could be a different option to what Southgate currently has though. He is very good in the air and can play a little deeper than the traditional centre-forward role.

It is goals which Bamford needs to keep getting over the next few months to keep catching the eye of the Three Lions boss. At the moment he is in the race for the Golden Boot in the league. If his hot form continues, he could sit down with Southgate to discuss the Leeds man switching his allegiance back to England ahead of Euro 2020.