Leo Hjelde is approaching his first full season since joining Sunderland.
The defender joined Sunderland from Leeds United in January, when the club were suffering a major injury crisis at left-back.
Hjelde was deployed on the left-side of the backline before fans quickly realised that that was far from his best position.
The Norwegian made eleven starts before he was dropped and failed to make an appearance in the final five matches of the campaign.
Hjelde will be eager to improve on a disappointing start to life on Wearside though, while his place in the pecking order looks uncertain following the returns of Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese to full fitness.
Hjelde speaks on his ‘most comfortable’ position
The 20-year-old has now made it clear to Regis Le Bris which position he feels ‘most comfortable’ in, while it now seems unlikely that he will be played at left-back again next term.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Hjelde said: “”Right now I’ll play anywhere but long term, centre-back is where I feel most comfortable. I enjoy playing left back but centre back is definitely more suited for my game.”
When Hjelde arrived at the Stadium of Light, he hadn’t played a minute of senior football in six months.
The youngster was thrown in at the deep end as he was expected to play in his weaker position from the get-go.
The defender could still have a future at Sunderland
It is very easy to forget that he only turns 21 years old this summer too, with plenty left to learn.
It was a tough season for the entire squad last term and certainly wasn’t an easy situation for a player with few minutes in his legs to come into.
Sunderland have limited options at centre-back and Hjelde has plenty of opportunity to battle for his place in the team now.
The defender’s presence puts a lot less pressure on the club to buy a new back-up centre-back, while Hjelde and Alese’s versatility at the back gives Le Bris some important options to rotate with.
It would be a huge surprise if Hjelde is made to play on the left again though, with Alese and Cirkin both now ahead of him in the pecking order.
Fans can’t judge him from what he did out of position, but if he can turn things around after a pre-season then he definitely deserves his chance to compete with Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard.