Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde withdraws from Norway U19 group
Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde has reportedly withdrawn from his Norway Under-19 group due to an injury.
According to LeedsLive, the teenager is sidelined with a knee injury and may even require surgery to amend it.
Hjelde, who is a summer signing at Leeds, made his senior debut in January when he ended up losing 2-0 to West Ham in the FA Cup.
Blow
While the 18-year-old is no more than a bench player at Leeds, everybody in the side is crucial as they’re battling relegation.
Marcelo Bielsa is known to push his players to their limits which often leads to fatigue and injuries.
There could be the odd game or brief spells in crunch encounters when the Argentine would like to throw players like Hjelde on.
However, his injury appears to be a serious one and that’s a blow for Bielsa and Leeds.
Hjelde, may not be a household name among the average Leeds United fan, but he’s rated highly by Paul Robinson who’s labelled him “brilliant“.
The club also loaned out Leif Davis and Cody Drameh so their options at the back are few and far between.
Players like Kalvin Phillips have been asked to play at centre-back – which highlights just how difficult team selection has been for Bielsa.
Hopefully, Hjelde is back before the end of the season as every player will be required to put in a shift and he could offer the manager versatility in the back line.
In other Leeds United news, the club admire a Champions League manager with a 74% win rate to succeed Marcelo Bielsa