Jens Hjerto-Dahl: Hull City's New Midfielder

Jens Hjerto-Dahl did not need anyone to explain the scale of Hull City’s journey. He watched it happen.

Back in May, the Norwegian midfielder was at home, following the play-off final like so many others in his country. English football is big in Norway, and Hull’s dramatic promotion push was must-see. When Oli McBurnie struck *that* goal, Hjerto-Dahl was just another viewer, not a future team-mate in waiting.

“I actually watched that game live,” he told BBC Radio Humberside. “English football is big in Norway, and I watched him score it live. He hasn't talked to me about it but I've seen it and that was a big moment. Biggest moment in this club maybe.

“I didn't think I would be standing here when I was watching the game back in May so, it happens fast.”

Now he is at MKM Stadium, wearing Hull City colours and preparing for his first Premier League season.

A bigger stage, a bigger challenge

Hjerto-Dahl, 20, makes no attempt to play down the jump he has taken.

“A big step-up from what I'm used to in everything,” he said. “The players are better, the team-mates are better and you've got more quality around you. It's a bigger stadium and it's more fans so everything is just bigger.”

That escalation is exactly what he wanted. Better players around him. A louder stadium. More on the line every week.

What Hull fans can expect

Ask him to define his game and the answer comes quickly. No frills. No fuss.

“I'm a player who works hard, who wants to score goals and also receive crosses,” he explained. “Be a guy who sets his team-mates up for shots and for chances, and when we have the ball I also like to keep the ball and rest with it to create good attacks. Just a hard-working midfielder really.”

The description is simple, but it hints at a rounded profile: a midfielder who wants to arrive in the box, link play, and still take responsibility in possession when the tempo needs managing.

Hull fans will judge that for themselves soon enough. For now, they know this much: the new man in their midfield has already seen how quickly fortunes can change at this club.

He watched it on television in May. Now he is inside the story.