Hjelde and Klaesson included in Norway U21s squad | OneFootball

Leeds United defender and goalkeeper named in Norway youth squad

Norway U21s manager Leif Gunnar Smerud has named Leeds United duo Leo Hjelde and Kristoffer Klaesson in his Euro 2023 squad for the upcoming youth tournament.

The Løvene face Scotland in a friendly on June 15 before taking on France, Italy and Switzerland in their group at the U21 Euros.

Hjelde featured 13 times in the Championship on loan with Rotherham United this season and once in the Carabao Cup second round against Wolverhampton Wanderers with Leeds. The defender has three U21 caps for his nation so far and is in contention to add to his tally during the competition.

Goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson has also received a call up from Smerud and has made 17 appearances for the Norwegian U21 side since 2019. Klaesson made his Premier League debut last season and this year, he made seven appearances for the Leeds United U21 squad that achieved promotion to the Premier League 2 Division One.

Norway's U21 Euro 2023 journey kicks off on June 22 against Switzerland.