Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford wins Championship Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals for Middlesbrough

Bamford, 21, has never played for his parent club

(Getty Images)

Patrick Bamford has been named Championship Player of the Year after firing Middlesbrough to a promotion challenge.

Aitor Karanka's team are level on points with second-placed Bournemouth and just a point behind leaders Watford with just two games left this season.

Bamford, on loan from Premier League leaders Chelsea, has scored 17 goals in the 36 Championship matches this season, with Grand Leadbitter the only other player in the squad to reach double figures with 12.

Bamford has not played a first-team game since arriving at Chelsea in 2012 (Getty Images)

Bamford beat Ipswich Town's Daryl Murphy and Watford's Troy Deeney to the award.

The 21-year-old moved to Chelsea from Nottingham Forest as an 18-year-old in January 2012.

Capped at England U18, U19 and U21 level, Bamford has never played for the Chelsea first-team and has instead been sent on a string of loan spells, twice to MK Dons and to Derby last season.

Bamford did play a couple of pre-season games for the first-team last summer.

He has scored 48 goals in 110 career appearances.

Another Premier League loanee, Dele Alli, won the Football League Young Player of the Year award for his performances for MK Dons in League One.

The midfielder, 19, was bought by Tottenham in January and immediately sent back to his former club.