‘You don’t expect it’: Leeds ace admits team-mate has really surprised him

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Leeds United have a fine young goalkeeper on their books with Lorient loanee Illan Meslier making a big impression in the Championship.

Illan Meslier has made quite the impression on and off the pitch at Leeds United with team-mate Barry Douglas taken aback by the confidence of the Elland Road newbie, speaking to the club’s official website.

Given that Meslier is a 20-year-old goalkeeper in his first season outside of his France homeland, the Lorient loanee would be forgiven for keeping his head down in the dressing room.

But it seems that the 2019 summer signing would, in fact, say ‘boo’ to the proverbial goose. As you might expect for a man who plays the game with such supreme authority and maturity despite his young age, Meslier is no wallflower behind the scenes in West Yorkshire.

“You know what, I’m going to give you a dark horse,” Scottish left-back Douglas said when asked to name his most comical team-mate.

“Who I think is one of the funniest in the squad is Illan Meslier, just because of his one liners! He’s a great character, he’s so bubbly and everyone took to him straight away.

“He’s a great personality to be around and you don’t expect it, having past experience of playing abroad it can be intimidating, but there is no shyness whatsoever.”

It looks for all the world that Meslier will be sticking around for the long haul too. Leeds have a £5 million option-to-buy clause in the France U21 international’s contract, according to Ouest France, and that could make him a bargain signing for years to come.

Meslier has really caught the eye since being promoted to Marcelo Bielsa’s starting XI in the absence of Kiko Casilla, conceding just once in three games so far – and that came away at Arsenal in the FA Cup.