Jon Newsome lauds Leeds debutant Illan Meslier

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Jon Newsome has told BBC Radio Leeds (broadcast on 6/1; 22:03) that he would trust Illan Meslier to replace Kiko Casilla in the Leeds United goal if needed during the remaining months of the season after the Frenchman’s debut for the Whites.

Meslier’s bow came at the Emirates as Leeds looked to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup on Monday night. It was not to be for the Championship leaders, but Marcelo Bielsa’s men will be proud of their performance.

Leeds dominated the first-half and played some brilliant football. Unfortunately for the visitors, they could not take their chances.

And Arsenal made a significant improvement after half-time. And they were able to score the decisive goal with Reiss Nelson managing to send the ball home from inside the six-yard box.

Despite the result, Meslier seemed to make a major impression. He made a number of excellent saves, and his distribution was extremely impressive.

And Newsome was full of praise for the summer signing. The former Leeds defender insisted that he would back Meslier to do well if Casilla drops out of the side at any stage of the season.

“I’d trust him,” he told BBC Radio Leeds. “I thought he’s done great today. His distribution is excellent. He pulled off two or three really good saves. There’s nothing he could have done with the goal.

“It’s nice I suppose as a manager, you see the lad in training day-in, day-out, you think he’s good enough and you throw him in and he proves you right. And that’s another tick in the box.”

What is particularly encouraging about Meslier’s performance was the way he seemed to tick a lot of the same boxes as Casilla when he is on form.

He read the game well and looked confident on the ball. And he produced some very good stops to deny the Premier League side.

It was a performance that highlights that Meslier boasts serious potential. And with the youngster only on loan, perhaps it was a display that will help convince Leeds to make a permanent move at some stage down the line.