Patrick Bamford has admitted Leeds United's signing of Rodrigo in the summer left him fearing for his starting opportunities this term.
The Whites splashed a club-record £26m fee on the Spain international, with Marcelo Bielsa's side making a statement ahead of a long-awaited return to the top-flight.
That signing led to debates concerning Bamford, Leeds' top-scorer last season, and where he would slot in at Premier League level, with many believing that Rodrigo would be a direct replacement.
However, that has not proven to be the case as Rodrigo has predominantly played in a number 10 role just behind Bamford.
Initially though, the transfer caused concern for Bamford as he was worried that he'd lost his starting berth - before changing his tune.
In the end, the signing of Rodrigo motivated Bamford ahead of the campaign - in which he has since scored 10 goals in 17 Premier League appearances.
“I was thinking; 'They’re signing the Spanish number nine, what’s happening here? I’m just going to be on the bench all season’,” he told The Leeds United podcast.
“And [his agent] said, ‘no, I think that he’s looking at him because he can play with you, he can play number 10, number nine, number seven, number 11. He’s just an attacking player. And I think the fact that he were signing him motivated me.
“As soon as I saw him, you could see how good he was. On the ball, he’s brilliant. And you can tell why he plays for Spain. So once I realised that actually there’s a chance that I could play with him, it got me excited.”
Bamford and Rodrigo have been directly involved in 15 of Leeds United's 30 league goals so far this season.
The 27-year-old Englishman has chipped in with 10 goals and two assists while Rodrigo has three strikes to his name, having played fewer minutes.
