He Must Be Tough Mentally, He’s Younger Than I Was – Leeds Legend On Whites Starlet

Leeds snapped up the teenage defender from Celtic last summer and he even made two starts in the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa earlier in the season.

Hjelde has not played a minute under new manager Jesse Marsch, but did make the bench in Leeds’ win over Watford earlier this month.

Bakke stressed that he is aware of the pressure that Hjelde is under at Leeds as he experienced the same kind of demands when he was at Elland Road.

The former midfielder featured 193 times for Leeds and was part of the squad that even played in the Champions League in the early 2000s.

He stressed the importance of Hjelde toughening up mentally and is confident that the youngster will eventually learn to cope with the pressure of being a Leeds player.

“I know a little what Leo is going through. These are tough demands”, Bakke told Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

“I experienced everything at Leeds.

“We were at the top, we fought against relegation, I struggled with injuries and we were in the Champions League.

“It is important to be tough mentally when you face adversity.

“He is younger than I was when I came to Leeds and is as old as my son.

“It is a new generation that is coming up now.”

Hjelde will look to impress Marsch enough to get some game time before the season ends in the next few weeks.

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