Performance In Numbers

61.4% duel success: Rotherham United fans ‘falling in love’ with Leeds United ace

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Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde is already enjoying his time at Rotherham United on loan, becoming a favourite of the fans already in the Championship.

A lot of business has been conducted this season by Leeds to secure playing time for key youngsters, and a handful of departures were confirmed in the January window too.

Exciting defensive talent Leo Hjelde agreed to join relegation-threatened Rotherham United for the remainder of the season, and has instantly been thrust into the side under manager Matt Taylor.

A knee injury looked to have scuppered his bright start to life at the club, seeing them winless in the three games he wasn’t playing – the final one against Coventry a 2-0 loss where Hjelde made just the bench.

However, either side of that, the Norway youth international has begun proving his credentials to be an important fixture in the Millers’ relegation battle, while demonstrating immense potential for the future at Elland Road in the process.

Hjelde is one of multiple very talented defenders aiming to nail a first-team spot at Leeds, including the other two pictured – Pascal Struijk and Cody Drameh. (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

In four Championship games for the Millers, Hjelde has played 393 minutes (stats via Wyscout) where he has helped his side pick up a vital eight points with two wins and two draws – the latter win coming most recently against Sunderland and Joe Gelhardt.

While in the lineup, Hjelde and Rotherham have kept two clean sheets and only conceded two goals in those four games, coming against four teams that occupy the top eight in the division.

In terms of how Hjelde himself has performed, he’s clearly impressing with 61/4% success in his defensive duels (engaging in 19.01 per game), while only committing two fouls so far for his new side.

Will Gracia keep Leeds up?

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His aerial presence is shining through at Rotherham too with a success rate of 63.6% in the air, while making 12.14 ball recoveries, 7.1 interceptions, and 3.14 clearances per 90 minutes too.

When looking at how it’s taken months for Charlie Cresswell to string together consistently good performances at Millwall, Hjelde has hit the ground running in more challenging circumstances and already looks the part in the Championship – surely to be destined for greater than that.

A simple search on Twitter of “Hjelde” tells you everything about how the Rotherham fans have taken to the 19-year-old:

There’s a long way to go in this season before Rotherham can count their campaign a success, but their five-point gap to the relegation zone was but one before he joined.

A 4-0 battering of promotion-hopefuls Blackburn Rovers on his debut – where he essentially set up the opener inside the first minute – showed the Millers fans they have an exceptional talent on their hands.

Long may that continue for the South Yorkshire side and for Hjelde, whose first regular run of senior football in England is baring fruit.

Quiz: These players have played for both Leeds United and Southampton – True or False?

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Che Adams has played for both.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.