Liam Cooper has wished Kiko Casilla ‘all the best’ on Instagram after he switched Leeds United for Elche on a season-long loan.
The 34-year-old posted on Instagram that it’s ‘not easy’ for him to leave Leeds and it was a ‘dream’ for him to play for the Yorkshire giants.
Casilla initially joined Leeds from Real Madrid when they were in the Championship, and within his first six months, he suffered play-off heartache at the hands of Derby.
But that play-off semi-final blip from the experienced shot-stopper was all put behind him the following season and Leeds, under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, eventually got over that promotion line.
But given that he is now playing second fiddle at Elland Road to Illan Meslier, it’s understandable that he has opted to go out on loan to try and earn some much-needed game time.
When Casilla posted an emotional message to the Leeds supporters on Instagram, a number of his teammates issued responses, including Cooper and Adam Forshaw.
Cooper wrote: “All the best bro,”. Whilst Forshaw added: “Good luck my friend.”
This is perhaps a call that suits both parties because Casilla isn’t going to jump ahead of Meslier in the pecking order.
The 21-year-old was a standout performer for Leeds last season and will be looking to don those number one goalkeeping gloves for many years to come.
But it will be interesting to see what Leeds do with their back-up option now and whether they bring in a keeper to fill Casilla’s void.
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