Hjelde has been sidelined since suffering an Achilles injury at the start of last month, and in his absence, the Black Cats have seen Dennis Cirkin and Jenson Seelt join a defensive injury list that already featured Aji Alese and Dan Ballard.
With Hjedle also unavailable, Regis Le Bris was forced to move Trai Hume to left-back last weekend, with midfielder Alan Browne filling in on the right of the back four.
The pair both impressed in their new roles though, so rather than rush Hjelde back into action at the Hawthorns, Le Bris is set to stick with the same defensive line-up that did so well against Millwall.
“It was an opportunity to build another option for us last weekend,” said the Sunderland boss. “Leo will need time. He didn’t play for a long time, and the Achilles is a part of the body that can be very fragile.
“Like Enzo (Le Fee), we won’t rush the process of bringing Leo back. We will probably keep pushing with the same back four, then when Leo is fully available, we will have another option and we will see what we do.”
Hjelde has played at both left-back and centre-half since joining Sunderland from Leeds United in January 2024.
The Norwegian is equally comfortable in both positions, but most of his football under Le Bris has been played at left-back and his current boss regards full-back as his optimal position.
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“This season, the open spot for Leo to go into was more often than not at left-back,” said Le Bris. “I like Leo as a left-back in the game model we play. We don’t really use our full-backs as wingers in possession, they are more connected with the players inside them.
“I think for a centre-back, it is easy to play in that position, especially off the left because, when we play with Romaine (Mundle) or Tommy (Watson), they are one-against-one players.
“Sometimes, you can support them, and you can overlap or underlap, but it is more about being in a support position rather than having the responsibility of playing like a winger at full-back. For Leo, I think that suits him, with his style of play.
“We haven’t really had the opportunity to play with him as a centre-back yet. He can play as a centre-back as well. Maybe he has come off the bench once or twice in that position, once in a back three I think, but we haven’t really had the chance to see him play a lot as a centre-back.”
With Alese ruled out for the season, and Cirkin facing a race against time if he is to recover before the end of the regular Championship campaign, Hjelde’s return to full fitness is a major boost.
“It is important to be getting our defenders back,” said Le Bris. “We built another option with Browney, who I thought did well as a right-back in the back four. That was good news for us. With another player coming back, that is another positive too.”
With Le Fee also expected to be on the bench at the Hawthorns, Le Bris could well name an unchanged line-up for tomorrow’s game against a Baggies side managed by former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray.
He may opt to restore Eliezer Mayenda to the starting line-up, but Wilson Isidor did nothing wrong against Millwall and is expected to retain his place in the side.
Watson will remain in the squad despite this week’s announcement of his impending move to Brighton, but the teenager is unlikely to get much match time as long as Mundle remains fit.
