Ken Bates says Luciano Becchio has accepted responsibility for his bit-part contribution to Leeds United’s season after failing to undergo surgery as planned seven months ago.The United chairman laid the blame for the delayed operation on Becchio’s injured hamstring at the door of the Argentinian forward who has scored twice and started only a handful of games since making his comeback in September.Becchio suffered his hamstring problem towards the end of April and was scheduled to have surgery the following month after United’s narrow failure to qualify for the Championship play-offs.The striker travelled to Spain during the summer but did not go under the knife, and Leeds were forced to send him for an operation towards the end of July after Becchio broke down in the early stages of pre-season training. Most of his first-team appearances this term have come as a substitute.Bates said: “Becchio has only just come back on the scene. That’s his fault and he knows it.“He should have had his operation in May as he was told to and he didn’t. You can’t tie people down on the operating table, can you?“He now realises that he made a mistake and lost three months.“That’s a blow because he was our top-scorer last season.”
Manager Simon Grayson was unable to call on Becchio until Leeds’ 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on September 10 and the 27-year-old made his first league start in last month’s defeat to Barnsley at Elland Road.
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