Pundit shares what Leeds star has told him about £5.5m Bielsa signing

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Illan Meslier was perhaps the unsung hero of Leeds United’s return to the Premier League.

Leeds enjoyed a stunning comeback after 16 long years in exile by sealing a ninth-placed finish this past season.

Patrick Bamford netted 17 Premier League goals and Kalvin Phillips established himself as a player with not only a big future in the division, but for England too after a string of brilliant displays for his country.

But 21-year-old goalkeeper Meslier was as consistent as anybody throughout the campaign.

And former Leeds keeper Rob Green claims that Luke Ayling told him that if Meslier was English, there’d be a lot more attention on him.

He told The Yorkshire Evening Post: “As Luke Ayling said to me: ‘If he was English, everyone would be raving about him’. He is an amazing kid and only 21.”

Major future

Leeds could make an absolute fortune on Meslier at some point in the future.

Clearly nobody affiliated with the Elland Road club will be thinking about him leaving anytime soon.

But if he continues to impress next season, then 12 months from now there’ll be a lot of big fish – domestically and on the continent – sniffing around to sign him.

At 21, Meslier, who cost Leeds only £5.5 million last summer, has a hell of a bright future and given that players in his position often continue to impress well into their 30s, it’s scary to imagine how much better the young lad will get.