Leeds United fans got their first glimpse of Illan Meslier following his summer move to Elland Road.
Plenty of Leeds fans appear to have been incredibly impressed after catching their first glimpse of Illan Meslier as the goalkeeper made his bow for the Whites in their under-23 win over Millwall on Monday.
Meslier arrived at Elland Road on the final day of the summer transfer window. It initially appeared to be an intriguing deal, with Leeds taking the 19-year-old on loan after selling Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Burnley earlier in the summer. Lorient confirmed on their official website however, that the Whites also have the option to buy the stopper.
The Frenchman has been an unused substitute for Leeds’ last two Championship games, so the under-23s’ clash with Millwall at Thorp Arch on Monday was the goalkeeper’s first outing for the club. And it proved to be a successful one.
Leeds needed a deflected free-kick from Mateusz Bogusz in the 96th minute to win the game 3-2, but Meslier was one of the players who enjoyed a good afternoon. He did not have many saves to make, but he looked comfortable when coming for crosses and his distribution showed why the club have brought him in as Kiko Casilla’s understudy.
And while he ultimately had to pick the ball out of his net, his best moment of the game came when he saved a penalty during the second-half. He proved to be unlucky as he tipped the ball onto the post, and none of the Leeds defenders switched on early enough, leaving a simple chance for the visitors.
It was a game in which Helder Costa demonstrated his class, Jack Clarke seemed to frighten the Millwall full-backs and Eddie Nketiah scored to round off a brilliant move. And yet, it was Meslier who was lauded by many on social media as Carlos Corberan’s men began the campaign with a dramatic win.
Here is what some of the supporters made of Meslier’s first appearance in a Leeds shirt…
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