Lincolnshire-born footballer Patrick Bamford gets first England call-up

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford, born in Grantham, has been called up to the England national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Patrick, 27, has been in brilliant form for Leeds United since the Yorkshire club were promoted back to the Premier League, scoring 17 goals last season.

The striker was left out of England’s Euro 2020 squad, as they narrowly missed out on glory after a penalty shootout defeat in the final against Italy at Wembley, but Bamford’s form has been rewarded with a national team call-up for the first time in his career.

He will be the only uncapped player in the 25-man Three Lions squad for England’s World Cup qualifiers against Hungary, Andorra and Poland next month, and will be hoping to get the chance to make his England debut.

Bamford’s journey to the top of the English game has been a long one, starting at Nottingham Forest before moving to Chelsea as an 18-year-old.

He was never given the chance to shine at Chelsea, going out on loan to multiple sides at Championship level before joining Middlesbrough in 2017 for £5.5 million.

He scored 12 goals in 47 games for Boro and was then bought for £10 million by Leeds United in the summer of 2018, helping the club earn promotion to the Premier League in 2020.

Patrick’s life in Lincolnshire was brief, moving to Norwell in Nottinghamshire soon after his birth in Grantham, where he was noticed by Nottingham Forest scouts, and his career took off from there.

In an interview with The Independent in March, Bamford said that “being selected for England is a dream”, even if he’s given just one cap.

Speaking about Bamford’s selection, England manager Gareth Southgate said: “It is a fresh cycle and we would always pick the bulk of the squad from the summer. We are only two games into the season so we were never going to make big changes.

“Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford were injured so there was an opportunity in the forward areas; now there is an opportunity for Patrick as a number nine.

“His progress with Leeds has been excellent, he was very close at the end of last season. We worked with him at Under-21 level so we know him anyway and it is a special moment for his family.”