One Sunderland player has been criticised after another poor performance against Bristol City.
Sunderland recorded their second 0-0 draw in four games over the weekend, failing to convert any of their 20 shots at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats performed far better than they did against Blackburn Rovers, but they still have only one win in their last ten games.
Jack Clarke, Chris Rigg, and Leo Hjelde were all reinstated to the starting lineup, with the former two particularly impressive despite their failure to score.
Hjelde replaced Callum Styles, who has had a nightmare at left-back since joining the club, but his Norwegian counterpart hasn’t fared any better.
The 20-year-old was left out of the lineups against Cardiff and Blackburn, but he was given another shot against Bristol City.
However, following a dismal performance at home, Hjelde appeared to solidify his spot on the bench for the remainder of the season.
Sunderland ace did absolutely ‘pathetically’
Sunderland Echo’s James Copley had already dubbed the full-back as Sunderland’s ‘worst player’ against the Robins, and journalist Michael Graham has now added his criticism.
In a post on X, Graham said: “I know patience is part of the process now and Sunderland buy players for what they can be in two years, not what they necessarily are now (whole other debate), but if you pull out of 50/50s as pathetically as he did yesterday, you’re never making it at #SAFC.”
The defender made five clearances against Bristol City but did not make a single block, interception, or tackle. He wasn’t any better going forward, either, with zero crosses, no critical passes, and no successful dribbles.
Hjelde has no chance against Sunderland’s ‘game-changer’ next season
Leo Hjelde would almost certainly not have joined Sunderland if we hadn’t had three left-backs out earlier this year.
The Norway U21 international would have to impress if he wanted to preserve his position in the team after everyone returned, but Aji Alese only needed a 24-minute cameo at the weekend to cement his quick return to the starting lineup.
The West Ham academy product was ‘outstanding’ when he came on and will surely have surpassed Hjelde in the pecking order.
When the next season rolls along, it would be quite unlikely that Hjelde would be given an opportunity to play ahead of Alese and Dennis Cirkin.
It’s not looking good for him, but I don’t recall being particularly enthused about Jack Clarke until he signed permanently. Time will tell.
Leave a Reply