Not Haaland: Patrick Bamford of Leeds United is astounded by the level of skill this Manchester City player possesses.

This week, Patrick Bamford, a striker for Leeds United, was given the duty of selecting a Manchester City star and adding him and one other player to the starting lineup.

Following his return to the starting lineup in 2024, Patrick Bamford has helped Leeds win 11 of their last 12 games since the start of the season, scoring seven goals in his 10 appearances.

He’s been talking about what it’s like up front in his My Mate’s A Footballer podcast with comic Joe Wilkinson, and there’s no doubting that his presence has improved the team’s passing of the ball.

Bamford lists his preferred starting eleven players.

The Leeds striker was subjected to a Q&A session on this week’s podcast, where Wilkinson asked Bamford questions on a range of football-related subjects.

One of those was the team he would start with, starting with Bamford up front, and consisting of all the players he has faced in his career.

He stated that he would want to have Bernardo Silva of Manchester City playing next to him.

I have the impression that I could never lose the ball if my entire team consisted of Bernardo Silvas. Honestly, he is among the top players. Despite his lack of speed, you are unable to approach him when he has the ball. His technique is ridiculous, and he just has such amazing low-to-ground body awareness.

City record under Bernardo Silva against Leeds

Silva’s record for Man City versus Leeds isn’t perfect; Marcelo Bielsa orchestrates a four-point haul against the 20/21 Champions, as Man City wins 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium with 10 men.

In the historic 2-1 victory for the Whites, the Portugal international’s solitary goal against Leeds came from setting up Ferran Torres’ equalizer before Stuart Dallas sprinted away to give Leeds the lead in front of an empty away end.

Against Leeds, he has made two starts and played the whole ninety minutes of each game. The following encounter, at the Etihad, he exacted retribution, losing 7-0.

Even though Bamford frequently struggles with execution, his playmaking ability is evident to all, and his choices in this podcast also speak volumes.

In response to a question about his ideal strike partner from the past or from the present, he named Dennis Bergkamp and Ivan Toney as two players who would be a wonderful complement.

Even though Silva was not on the scoresheet, he was part of the Premier League winners’ 7-0 wake-up call to Leeds.