Junior Firpo sends four-word message as Leeds United exit finalised
Junior Firpo sent a four-word social media message to Leo Hjelde after his confirmed exit from Leeds United on Tuesday (30 January).
The Whites confirmed the departure of the rarely-seen defender (30 January) to Sunderland signing a four-year deal to join Michael Beale’s men at the Stadium of Light.
The 20-year-old centre-back has been limited to just three appearances for Leeds this season, and eight in total and he took to his Instagram account soon afterwards to express his sadness at calling time on his Elland Road career.
He wrote: “As you all may be seen I’ve decided to leave Leeds.
“I want to say a massive thanks to all my teammates over the years, coaching staff and medical team and obviously the fans!
“I’ve loved every single minute of my time here and hopefully this isn’t the last dance and i will see you guys in the future.
“All the best for the rest of the season.”
Firpo, who’s been linked with an exit from Elland Road himself, responded wishing Hjelde all the best on his new adventure, writing: “All the best bro.”
Decent move
Hjelde is 20 and while his versatility is important, he does not still have the quality to break into the Leeds United first team or even be a matchday-squad regular.
However, Sunderland represents a decent move for his development and the chance for him to still make a name for himself in the Championship as he looks to shine under Beale’s management.
He was handed his first-team debut under Marcelo Bielsa amid a huge injury crisis and has since gone on to make eight senior appearances since then so desperately needed a new lease on life.
This season, the Norwegian defender has made just one Championship appearance and even in that game, played just 46 minutes.
He has not been seen since his last appearance for the first team in late August and rather than wasting his time away with the under-21s or making it to the matchday squad whenever there are injuries, it was better for him to seal a move away too.
The Whites are believed to have received a healthy windfall for his services which cannot be argued with. Excellent deal for all parties involved.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay claims that the Whites are seriously considering acceptable offers for one player with a new signing on the cards.
For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.