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Former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford believes Adam Forshaw can make a big impact for the Whites this season.

The central midfielder moved to Elland Road back in January 2018 for £4.5million. He soon established himself as an important part of Marcelo Bielsa’s team, making 30 Championship appearances in his first full season.

But a serious hip injury in October 2019 saw him spend around 22 months on the sidelines. Forshaw is now back in contention and played a full 90 minutes in the recent 1-1 draw with Leicester City.

The 30-year-old did not look out of place and could now keep his starting spot.

While appearing on Leeds’ official club podcast, Beckford was asked about Forshaw. He said: “To know that he has been out for as long as he has. To have set-back after set-back and problem, after problem.

“It would have been a breath of fresh air. Obviously, we have seen little snippets of him. He has had little cameo appearances this season.

“But to have started a game against a team as big and as good as Leicester City – and he stood out. He didn’t just blend in. He stood out. It doesn’t surprise me because I know the type of player he is.”

Beckford also made a big claim, backing the Englishman to have the same impact as a new arrival for Bielsa. “I am so glad that we have managed to get him back now because it’s like having a brand new signing.

“We have a player who is fighting for a contract. He wants a contract extension and rightly so. But he still has to prove himself.”

Forshaw’s current deal in West Yorkshire expires in June. He will need to stand out in a few more Premier League matches to convince the Leeds board that news terms should be offered.

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Leeds star sides with Gary Lineker over issue

Meanwhile, Whites striker Patrick Bamford agrees with Gary Lineker on the fact that footballers should be allowed to talk politics.

The Whites star is using his position in the game to try and highlight the growing problem with climate change. Indeed, his bolt symbol, used when he scores a goal, is Bamford’s way of highlighting the work being done to combat the issue.

Famous stars such as Lineker and Marcus Rashford use their positions for good when it comes to social changes. But too often players are told to ‘stick to football’ and avoid such comments.

During a recent interview with FootballJOE, Bamford said: “It annoys me. I saw it on Twitter yesterday, someone had a go at Gary Lineker for talking about politics, saying he should talk about football only because ‘that’s what you’re good at’ and ‘you shouldn’t have an opinion on this’.

“That’s nonsense because, if everyone just spoke about the industry they were in, one, life would be boring, and two, we’d just never get anywhere, so I totally disagree with that.”

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The post ‘He stood out’ – Pundit lavishes praise on Leeds man as big claim made appeared first on TEAMtalk.