It hasn’t been the best of times for Patrick Bamford this season at Selhurst Park; the youngster arrived on loan from Chelsea in the summer hoping to gain some vital Premier League experience.
Last season in the Championship he was the star of the show for a Middlesbrough side that agonisingly lost out in the play-off final to Norwich City.
After that impressive season with Aitor Karanka’s side he won the Championship player of the year award, but his spell in South London so far has been in-different.
Bamford hasn’t hit the ground running as he would have liked; and after the disappointing defeat in the League Cup fourth round at the Etihad last week where Palace were thrashed 5-1, Bamford didn’t do enough to prove his critics wrong.
Bamford yearning for more gametime
After the game he spoke to the Croyden Advertiser saying how his time at Palace so far has been ‘frustrating’ and ‘upsetting.’
But his manager Alan Pardew believes he will one day become an England international, but says he has got some learning to do before he can reach that level.
Pardew said, via the Croyden Advertiser: "I haven't said anything to him – I spoke to him when he first came to the football club and that he needs to understand that although Middlesbrough is a high level, coming into the Premier League in this Palace team is a higher level."
Pardew backs Bamford for success, but he must work
With both Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh out injured, Pardew has only got Dwight Gayle and Bamford as recognised centre-forwards, but so far Gayle has been his preferred choice.
Pardew continued "in my opinion, [Bamford is] a possible England player at some stage but he has got some learning to do [before that].
"Like all young players, they sometimes have to add something to their game to get over that final hurdle.”
Whether Bamford will prove to be a success at Selhurst this season remains to be seen, he first has to get the team so that he can show his worth to Pardew but also the Palace faithful.