Bamford scored in Leeds’ 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Monday and took his tally of goals in the Premier League to 12 for this season.
But the 27-year-old hitman also missed some guilt-edged opportunities and could have scored a hat-trick if he had taken those chances.
Hasselbaink believes Bamford’s willingness to work hard for the team makes him invaluable for Marcelo Bielsa, but feels his goalscoring record this season can be partly attributed to empty stadiums.
The former striker pointed out that missing chances and feeling the pressure of the Leeds fans in the stadium affected Bamford last season in the Championship.
With no crowds in the stadium, Hasselbaink thinks the striker is managing to get over those missed opportunities quickly and go for more chances without actually feeling the glare of the supporters.
Hasselbaink said on Premier League TV after Leeds’ win over Palace: “Bielsa loves him because of the work rate that he brings.
“Last year in the Championship, he needed a lot of chances and the supporters were on his back.
“This year the supporters not being there has helped him.
“Last year this kind [missed chances] of things affected him with the supporters being there.
“Last year he had a lot of the situations where he created a chance for himself and then he missed and he would not see in the game again.
“But now he still gets chances and he goes back for more.”
Bamford will hope to continue to prove his critics wrong and prove himself when the fans are back at Elland Road as well.
