Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford on training methods, shopping at Tesco and new addition to musical portfolio

In between keeping fit with runs around Bardsey Sports Club, the keen guitarist is adding the art of playing the piano to his musical portfolio.

Boston by Augustana, Disney songs, take your pick.

Yet there is no escaping the seriousness of the bigger picture with the striker expecting the current social distancing measures to be in place for a while and prioritising the health of the general public and in particular his parents.

Bamford and the rest of the Leeds squad are already coming towards the end of a fourth week training from home with United quickly following government advice to avoid unnecessary travel and social gatherings and doing so one week before Boris Johnson put the country on lockdown.

For 26-year-old Bamford, that has meant morning runs, spending time with his partner Michaela, practicing his dribbling skills with his dog - and playing the piano.

The forward has already gained the attention of Jon Bon Jovi due to his passion for his music and his guitar skills and the forward might soon be making waves with the pianists of this world.

Yet whilst determined to utilise his free time in the best way possible, Leeds United's top scorer will never forget the importance of the Whites and the rest of the country being in lockdown amidst the ongoing battle against COVID-19.

"I feel like when everyone first started hearing about coronavirus no-one really took it seriously," said Bamford.

"Whilst it was over in China it wasn't really a concern to anyone over here and no one really understood how bad it was going to get.

"At the minute we are still on the rise from what you hear and what you read so I think it's going to be like this for quite a while.

"But as soon as things started getting serious over here and we literally stopped going to training and then the lockdown came about I have been worried not so much about me and Michaela because we are obviously quite young healthy people but even though my mum and dad are healthy they are obviously older and they are above 60 now.

"I have restricted seeing anyone and even going to the shops and stuff - it's only when we have to go to Tesco.

"It's quite funny actually because what is normally a ten minute trip can take 45 minutes because you are stood in the queue for 20 minutes.

"We have taken measures and we are taking it seriously as I think everyone should. t's weird but it's something we have got to adapt to."

Bamford is doing his best to do just that with United's players all having had their own gym gear and equipment sent to their houses and issued with a daily training programme and diet plan.

Opening up on his own way of working, Bamford revealed: "I've tried to keep a routine in terms of getting up on a morning and doing our programme pretty much straight away.

"Then I'll come back and have breakfast and get on with the day really. As long as I've got the routine, I feel like it's not too bad.

"It's when I get up late that I kind of lose motivation if I sleep in.

"All of the fit players, who aren't carrying little niggles or whatever, they are getting sent a programme which alters day-to-day but it generally has one bit or running in it and one bit of gym.

"Sometimes the gym can be short movement patterns outside and then some days we have got the exercise bikes rather than running because they delivered exercise bikes to everyone's homes.

"The programme is from Monday to Saturday and then we have Sunday off and then go again on Monday.

"I haven't got a treadmill so the running is done outside. I started off running just around the villages near me but the hills are an absolute killer.

"It was ridiculous because I am in a valley so everywhere is just uphill downhill so I have decided to go to Bardsey Sports Club - just where the cricket and football pitches are - obviously there is no-one there so I just go and run down there and do all my stuff there and run back."

In doing do, Bamford and the rest of the Whites squad are looking to maintain their excellent fitness levels which have regularly been hailed as the best of the division.

There is, though, naturally also plenty of free time after the new art of training at home and that free time is leading to more developments with Bamford the musician.

"When I was younger I started the piano when I was about ten," said Bamford.

"I must have stopped when I was about 12 when I went to secondary school so I kind of knew the basics but wasn't particularly good.

"I got a keyboard for Christmas and now I have got loads of time on my hands so I have just been practicing.

"I have got this app that I use for the guitar so you type in any song and play whatever on the guitar and I can use that for the piano.

"It gives me the chords and I kind of work out the melody myself.

"On the keyboard, the one I put on Instagram was Boston by Augustana.

"I have learnt a couple of Disney songs like Elton John's Can You Feel The Love Tonight, simple things but ones where I can pick up the melody with the right hand are quite easy and on the guitar I play quite a bit. It just depends on what I feel like playing."

Yet the ultimate desire is to be back playing on a football pitch with the current EFL season indefinitely suspended and for now Bamford is having to make do with a canine training partner in his garden.

Assessing how much work with a football he has been able to do, Bamford smiled: "I ordered a ball off Amazon.

"It's one of them replica ones so it's a bit mis-shaped but I've got one of them and I just play around in the garden and the dog tries to take it off me and nicks it and stuff so just messing about.

"I try and get out there every day and even if it's only ten minutes, just messing around with the dog is a little bit of dribbling.

"It's nothing regimented, just purely for enjoyment I guess!"