New Ross County defender looking forward to Staggies experience while on loan from Celtic
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
New Ross County defender Leo Hjelde says he is hopeful that his loan from Celtic will give him plenty of first team experience.
The 17-year-old made his senior debut as he was thrown straight into the Staggies side to face Rangers last weekend.
He is a versatile defender who can play in a couple of positions across the backline, but one thing the youngster is lacking is minutes on the pitch.
Now, Hjelde is hoping to rectify that by staying involved in the starting 11 for the rest of the season.
“I think it could be a very good spell for me,” the Norwegian recruit explained.
“I just have to keep my head up, hopefully I’ll be playing, and I can get experience.
“The guys have been brilliant.
“They’ve been including me in the group and treating me very well.”
It was a whirlwind few days for the defender, who was only unveiled by County on Friday.
There was no settling in period on offer as he was then thrown straight into the fire the next day at his new surroundings, playing the full 90 minutes against his parent club’s fiercest rivals – Rangers.
Hjelde experienced a difficult first appearance, as the result did not go County’s way with the league leaders running out 5–0 winners.
Tests do not come much tougher than that.
Hjelde, however, is looking at the bigger picture where he hopes to contribute to County’s relegation battle, with Motherwell next on the agenda tomorrow.
“To be fair, I came up a bit earlier, but the signing didn’t go through until Friday.
“Rangers are the best team in Scotland right now, and you learn from the best.
“Obviously I came here to get games and experience, and hopefully I’ll have a part to play this season.
“We played against the toughest team in the league on Saturday.
“It was a difficult game, but it’s over now, so we’re just looking forward to the game on Wednesday now and hopefully we can get a good result.”
The defender’s first impressions of his new boss have been positive too, as he added: “The manager is brilliant – he’s a nice character, and he knows what he’s doing, so he’s been preparing well.”
