The Norwegian youngster signed for Leeds in the summer of 2021 and has made a handful of first-team appearances in the Premier League and domestic cup competitions. At 19, Hjelde is in search of regular minutes at a reasonable standard and has demonstrated he is a level above Premier League 2 Division 2, in which the Whites’ Under-21s currently compete. This is not Hjelde’s first loan move, having spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan from Celtic at Scottish Premiership side Ross County, where he played 12 times for the Staggies. He is expected to feature at left-sided centre-back for Rotherham United during the remainder of this campaign, as Matt Taylor’s side tend to operate with a three-man defence and aggressive wing-backs. Nottingham-born Hjelde is able to play at left-back as well as his more natural berth in central defence, but due to Leeds’ £10 million acquisition of Austrian international Max Wober this month, Hjelde’s game-time is anticipated to be limited further. He is yet to make a Premier League appearance this season, and did not feature during the Whites’ 2-2 FA Cup draw against Cardiff City last weekend. Wober is also a left-sided central defender who has spent the majority of this season at left-back, whilst captaining previous club Red Bull Salzburg. Similarly, Pascal Struijk and Junior Firpo represent considerable roadblocks to the teenage defender’s game-time, who remains contracted at Elland Road until the summer of 2025. Rotherham are currently one point above the relegation zone in the Championship and recently parted with Arsenal loanee Brooke Norton-Cuffy, offering the Millers the chance to bring in another loan player, whom they have chosen to be Hjelde.
