Leo Hjelde came into the 2023-24 season with a real chance to put a marker down and establish his place in this Leeds United side. He was given the opportunity, but now, he will be wishing he left Leeds.
Hjelde, 20, returned to Leeds in the summer after a decent loan spell at Rotherham and indeed, with Junior Firpo and Stuart Dallas injured, he started at left-back on the opening day, against Cardiff City.
But with Leeds 2-0 down at the break, Hjelde was subbed off. He had struggled, and since then, has not played a single minute of Championship football. His last inclusion in the squad came on September 2.
Injury saw him miss the game against Norwich and then, the night before he was supposedly set to be available for the trip to Stoke – he picked up an injury with the U21’s, in a 3-1 win over Hertha Berlin.
Hjelde faces being on the sidelines, injury or not, until January at least. Probably, only playing with the U21 side. He is not going to get back into the side over Sam Byram, and others are returning from injury.
Leo Hjelde will be wishing he left Leeds for Serie A’s Salernitana
Firpo is expected back soonish, while Dallas is partaking in some first-team training. Hjelde is only going to fall down the pecking order and will not get a chance to show why he deserves, a second chance.
Back in the summer, there was interest from an unlikely source. Serie A side Salernitana were keen on luring the Norwegian to Italy. Gianluca Di Marzio said Hjelde was close to joining them in the summer.
A fee of £1.75m required. But, Hjelde has stayed put at Leeds – perhaps, hoping he could break in to the side and maybe, given false hope given his start against Cardiff. Now, he will be wishing he had left.
