Leo Hjelde is eight games into his loan spell at Rotherham United after making the move from Leeds United in the January transfer window. Matt Taylor's side are battling against relegation from the Championship but Hjelde has played a key role so far and he seems to be thriving at the New York Stadium.
With that in mind, LeedsLive got in touch with the Rotherham Advertiser's Millers reporter Paul Davis to chat about all things Hjelde.
What’s your impression been of Leo Hjelde during his first two months of Rotherham United?
My general impression is that Rotherham United in the Championship have got a player of Premier League talent. We expected big things because he was coming from Leeds United and we’ve not been disappointed. It’s very easy to forget he is only 19, he plays with a real maturity about him.
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He started really well and he was excellent for six games but he’s just gone off a bit in the last two games and he was on the bench for the most recent one. The manager Matt Taylor expected that, he said, ‘you can’t expect a lad of that age to just keep performing at the top level in every game and it’s inevitable he will dip a little bit’. He has done that but I think the international break will do him good and I expect him to be back to the standards he showed early on in his Rotherham spell as soon as he comes back.
Taylor talks about him having a maturity that he doesn’t see in English players the same age. I get what he says, he carries himself really well and there’s an assuredness about him in the way he plays, he’s not scared, he’s not a rabbit in the headlights, like ‘this is a big occasion and I can’t handle it’, he wants to be part of it. There’s been times where he’s been man of the match and his ability to take the ball in a tight situation and not panic and do something good with it has been a revelation.
Rotherham fans love him because he gets right involved with the celebrations whenever they score. You can see it matters to him. He came in at a great time, winning 4-0 against Blackburn to turn around a sticky patch of form, and since then he’s been a crowd favourite.
He’s a versatile player but how has he looked in the left-back role for Rotherham United?
We started the season at 3-5-2 and things weren’t quite working out so Matt Taylor came in and wanted to change things and since the turn of the year it’s been predominantly 4-3-3 and that’s allowed us to play two full-backs. We’re fully aware that Leo can play on the left side of a three but he’s been exclusively left-back. He’s the first-choice left-back and if Rotherham were playing in a cup final tomorrow he’d be in the starting XI.
Rotherham are in a battle at the foot of the division, how do you think he’s handled that and how has he dealt with the physicality of the Championship?
He’s handled the pressure fine. There’s nothing wrong with his head at all, you can tell he’s mentally strong. Physically, he’s quite wiry, he’s not the biggest physical specimen you’ve ever seen, you wondered whether he’s going to be strong enough but he just is. You can get that with some players, they just have balance and when he comes shoulder to shoulder with someone, he handles himself really well, there’s a strength there beyond his image.
He’s going to be a Premier League player down the line, he’s already a quality Championship player.
What do you think he’s learned over the last two months, then?
I think just by playing regularly you learn a bit more game craft. It’s not the same as the U21s, you’re in men’s football where there’s plenty on the line. Your decision-making has got to be good and you have to do the right things as often as possible and that brings him on. Mentally, as I mentioned, he was really strong anyway. When the pressure is on and you need to get something, you either stand up to that or shy away from it, it’s a test of your character and his character is strong anyway but he’s proven that really.
Bearing in mind he’s 19, it couldn’t have gone any better. It’s just been a little ragged over the last couple of games with misplaced passes. But he’s not got 20 senior games under his belt and you’ve got to remember that. We made seven signings in January and hopefully that recruitment will keep us up. So far, Leo has been as good as any of those seven.
Leeds think highly of him but do you think he’s capable of coming back to Elland Road and competing for a spot in the side?
I think he’s a Premier League player in the making, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. The quality he shows on the ball tells you that. If Leeds decided that he needs another year of development outside the top flight, Rotherham fans would love that year of development to be at the New York Stadium.
I’ve only seen him in eight games and I don’t know if he’s quite ready for a club of that stature in the Premier League, but he will be one day. If that one day isn’t next season then please let us have him back!
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