Leo Hjelde got his Rotherham United career off to a flyer last weekend as he helped his side to a 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, the first game of his loan spell after leaving Leeds United for the rest of the season.
Three departures have been sanctioned so far this month, with Leo Hjelde’s temporary move to South Yorkshire the latest of those.
He joined relegation-threatened Rotherham for the remainder of the season, looking to boost their chances of consolidating in the Championship under Matt Taylor.
His first game was a home clash against promotion-hopefuls Blackburn Rovers, aiming to get off on the right foot at the New York Stadium – which he did with a stunning 4-0 win.
How did he get on? Our writers Kris (FA5) and Toby (Neutral) look at his performance for the Millers…
Hjelde really set the tone with his display, even though he was playing at left-back rather than in a more comfortable central role.
In the first minute, he drove forward and a dangerous cross resulted in the first goal, perhaps harshly not registering as an assist, while his high pressing in the second half saw the home side regain possession before Ollie Rathbone struck from outside the box for 2-0.
Such energy is a great way to get fans onside with a new signing, and Hjelde has more than proven his readiness to step into this relegation battle.
Taylor’s praise of the youngster says it all about his start there, and long may it continue.
Should Marsch have been sacked?
Marsch in
Marsch out
It was certainly an impressive start to life at Rotherham for Leo Hjelde on Saturday.
Hjelde wasted no time making an impact for the Millers, playing an important role in their first two goals in that big win over Blackburn, to show what he can offer going forward.
He also coped well defensively against an attack his new manager Matt Taylor had been full of praise for prior to the game, and he certainly didn’t look out of place against a team challenging for promotion from the Championship.
The fact he was able to last until the 89th minute after so little first-team football recently speaks well to his fitness levels too, meaning if he continues to perform like this, he should earn plenty of opportunities to makes this a profitable loan spell both for himself, and Rotherham.