Leo Hjelde looks to have fallen out of favour at Leeds United as he lines up for under-21 game
Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde looks to have fallen out of favour with Daniel Farke as he starts for the under-21 side against Nice, despite having started the opening games of the season.
Hjelde’s inclusion in Farke’s starting side for the Cardiff clash on the opening day of the Championship season was more out of necessity than judgment, but his fall to the academy side is another step back.
At 20 years old, playing for the under-21 side would usually be no surprise, although his apparent drop in favour with his manager could prove to be a cause for concern.
His performance against Cardiff did not go to plan for the defender. After a successful pre-season which saw him work his way into Farke’s plans, he was subbed off after just 46 minutes and then suffered the exact same fate in the Carabao Cup clash with Shrewsbury [Sofascore].
Hjelde then dropped to the bench, where he remained an unused substitute against Birmingham, Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, only to appear again in the League Cup defeat to Salford City.
Since the recent international break, in which he performed well for Norway’s under-21s side leading a teammate to dub him a “Brexit centre-back“, he has failed to make a match-day squad, missing the games against Millwall, Hull and Watford.
The boss has even opted to play Jamie Shackleton as a makeshift left-back rather than put Hjelde back in, with Sam Byram’s return from injury putting the nail in the coffin.
What looked to be a promising season for the 20-year-old has quickly become a disaster. Playing academy football at his age is no slight on his talent, but the drop from starting in the first team to being completely left out in favour of academy football is a dramatic one.
He will be looking to perform well and keep his fitness up with the youth squad, in an attempt to work his way back into favour with Farke.
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