Sunderland look as if they've stumbled across a gem in the managerial hot-seat in Regis Le Bris, who was an unknown entity to supporters of the Wearside club on his dramatic arrival over from France.
Months of speculation over who the next Black Cats manager dominated the conversation around the Stadium of Light before he was appointed, with the time spent painstakingly trying to find a new boss ultimately paying off, as Le Bris has steered his new team to a win in every Championship game they've faced so far.
Whilst players such as Dennis Cirkin have shone under the new early regime, other players have seen their standing in the pecking order fall, with Leo Hjelde a permanent fixture on the substitute's bench from the four league games to date.
Hjelde's time at Sunderland
Still only 21 years of age, Hjelde wandered through the door at Sunderland in January as a promising new recruit to help the Black Cats out defensively.
Comfortable playing at either left-back or in the heart of defence, Sunderland must have thought they'd purchased a gem considering he had made the odd Leeds United first-team appearance here or there when he was in West Yorkshire.
The Norwegian defender registered eight senior appearances for the Whites before leaving for a new adventure with Sunderland, with the hype surrounding him during his time at Elland Road not exactly helping him in his mission to become a top star.
Outlandish labels such as "the next Van Dijk" handed to him from former Ross County manager John Hughes followed him down to England from his positive time in Scotland, after impressing on loan away from one of Van Dijk's old employers in Celtic.
Hjelde hasn't quite ever lived up to that bold billing, with 12 forgettable games for the Black Cats passing him by so far since joining at the start of the year.
This campaign has only seen the Scandinavian make one start too, with a rotated Sunderland XI losing 2-0 to Preston North End in the EFL Cup before the Nordic defender dropped back out for the likes of Cirkin and other first-team stalwarts under Le Bris to comfortably slot back in.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
85
Accurate passes
59/74 (80%)
Possession lost
16x
Clearances
2
Blocked shots
1
Interceptions
1
Tackles
1
Duels won
2/6
Failing to show off a creative edge playing out from the centre-back spots with his 85 touches, Hjelde also struggled physically at Deepdale, which then pointed in the direction of Luke O'Nien and eventually Daniel Ballard wriggling free of his injury concerns to easily come back in as more imposing options.
There could well be an argument that offloading Hjelde down the line could be smart – considering his value stands at a high £2.8m via Football Transfers – and his hefty wage in contrast to other more key Sunderland individuals.
Hjelde's wage at Sunderland
According to Capology, the out-of-sorts 21-year-old earns a handsome pay packet of £5k-per-week, matching Romaine Mundle's salary in the process, a player who by comparison has exploded into life in a Sunderland shirt as another new recruit who joined in January. He has fired home two goals in the Championship this season.
Amazingly, both Trai Hume and Dan Neil – as per Capology – earn less than their Scandinavian teammate at £3k-per-week and £1.3k-per-week respectively, despite being fixed first-team presences under Le Bris so far.
Between the pair of them, only one game has been missed this season to date – with Neil suspended for the recent away day win at Portsmouth – as both the Northern Irishman and the Black Cats homegrown product go from strength to strength under their new French manager.
Hjelde might well find it hard to break into the first-team picture, as Le Bris has no real reason to tinker with a system that's been hugely effective so far, with a 100% record still intact in league action.
Whilst the likes of Chris Rigg, alongside the other aforementioned first-team faces, will look to grow and develop at the Stadium of Light under the former Lorient boss, it looks unlikely that his teammate in Hjelde will prosper here if he remains stuck on the periphery.
Whisper it quietly, but the Black Cats may also be Premier League bound. It's even more unlikely the defender would get a look in there. Either a permanent or loan move would be beneficial once January swings around.
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