Leo Hjelde, Baby! Leo Hjelde... Oooooooh!
Yesterday at 01:00 AM
Leo Hjelde's return against Stoke showcases his growth; with injuries to other key players causing us problems, could he solve Sunderland's left-back conundrum?
We saw the return of our towering Norwegian defender against Stoke, and the boy looked as assured and confident on the ball as his defensive counterparts who have started ahead of him. Considering we haven't seen him start a game since Bristol City at home last season, many may have thought he could have been one of many out the door over the summer. But he wasn't.
From pre-season to now, Sunderland's socials have shown him forever smiling, appearing popular among the other players. He has undoubtedly come across as a likeable character, most recently in the Christmas videos with young Riggy, with whom he has clearly struck up a great friendship. But being likeable doesn't necessarily translate to being a good footballer.
We signed him as a relatively unknown player from Leeds last January for a sizeable sum. A couple of seasons out on loan at Ross County and Rotherham were the justifications for spending over a million pounds on the Leeds Academy graduate. As is with the club's model, this wasn't a surprise, and some might have seen it as a coup to take an up-and-coming centre-back from a Championship rival — or so we thought.
We got our first sight of Big Leo away at Middlesbrough. Couldn't tell you what was brighter: his hair or our hi-vis jacket-like away kit. Apart from clearly lacking pace and being somewhat out of position at left-back, he did well. Composed on the ball and keen to make an impression, he didn't put a foot wrong.
However, the games following this proved he is not suited to playing as a left-back, as he was constantly beaten for pace by opposing wingers.
There were moments when, as the ball came to his feet, I had to close my eyes — not knowing what would happen next. In fairness to the big man, he came into a team that was faltering and with very little confidence. Even after a switch to three at the back, he, along with others, looked very shaky.
Fast forward to this past weekend against Stoke, and you could argue he was the man of the match. His positioning, passing, and general reading of the game look vastly improved. His clever clipped ball up to Harrison Jones led to our equaliser, and he produced a few pinpoint diagonals throughout the game to good effect.
We sadly lost Aji Alese to what appears to be a season-ending injury. Leo was moved to a previous problem position for him — left-back — but again, he performed well. This switch to left-back had him running more and advancing up the pitch, which ultimately left him stretching his hamstring due to cramp. That's to be expected, as he hasn't played more than a handful of minutes this season.
As with Adil Aouchiche, Leo could have downed tools and stunk the place out while looking for a move. Instead, he has dug in, been involved in the matchday squads for most of the season, and become a well-liked member of the team.
I hope we see more of him this season and that he keeps his performances consistent. With the upcoming run of eight games in five weeks, there'll undoubtedly be players needing rest. With our issues at left-back, we may well see our man starting there against Burnley.
