Brought in by then manager Tommy McLean, he made his debut as a trialist in the 1–0 victory over Hearts at Tannadice on 26 October 1996, along with fellow Scandinavian Erik Pedersen.
Kjell scored his first goal seven days later in a 3–1 win over Motherwell at Fir Park and he instantly became a fan-favourite.
The season started promisingly for United, with an early 17–0 aggregate UEFA cup win over Andorran side CE Principat which saw Olofsson score his first, and only, European goal for the club.
However, despite Kjell's goals United failed to live up to the glory of the previous season and only finished 7th in the Premier Division.
Several years later Kjell made a cameo appearance at Tannadice, dressed as Terry The Terror (the club mascot) before a home league game.