One Sunderland player has been criticised for being the ‘worst player’ during the draw with Bristol City.
Sunderland picked up their third clean sheet in four games as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate on home soil.
After a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers last time out, the Black Cats’ performance was much improved.
Mike Dodds‘ side dominated for most of the game but were unable to put away their chances, forcing them to settle for a point.
Jack Clarke received plenty of plaudits on his return to the starting line-up, while Chris Rigg is another that continues to impress since being handed the opportunity in the team.
However, one man who didn’t make the most of his return was Leo Hjelde.
The left-back was thrown straight in at the deep end following his move from Leeds United in January, however a number of poor performances saw him dropped for Callum Styles against Cardiff.
Another dull display from Sunderland’s ‘worst player’
Hjelde was brought back in yesterday but performed well below par, with journalist James Copley dubbing him Sunderland’s ‘worst player’.
Speaking on Sunderland Echo’s YouTube channel, Copley said: “I think Hjelde struggled today – I don’t think he’s a left-back. I think he’s probably going to be more of a centre-back long term.
“I liked him after his debut against Middlesbrough but he’s had a tough time of it.
“I think he did struggle today, he was probably Sunderland’s worst player, but it’s not his position so what can you do?”
What do we do with Leo Hjelde?
Leo Hjelde played a majority of his loan spell at Rotherham United from left-back and was really loved there for it.
However, it so far is not working out for him at the Stadium of Light.
We require full-backs that can bomb forward and I’m yet to see anything that proves he can do that, while his defensive capabilities have come into question too.
I would certainly trust him a lot more in central defence, but I also don’t think he’s good enough in that position to warrant a regular place in the team either. In fact, I would take Aji Alese over him in any position in the backline.
Hjelde is yet another underwhelming signing to add to our recent collection, and when Dennis Cirkin also returns from injury, the Norwegian should probably be concerned about how much game-time he will be getting.
His only hope is taking advantage of an injury to Dan Ballard or something along those lines, because he’s certainly not going to get in over him or Luke O’Nien anytime soon.