Leeds fans react on Twitter to Illan Meslier’s display

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A number of Leeds United fans have taken to Twitter to comment on Illan Meslier’s performance during the Whites’ FA Cup tie with Arsenal on Monday night – and many have implored the club to make his deal permanent.

Meslier went into the game still awaiting the chance to make his senior debut for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. The Frenchman has been extremely impressive for the under-23s since arriving on loan from Lorient in the summer.

Nevertheless, it looked to be a potential gamble to rest Kiko Casilla against the Gunners. But Meslier vindicated the decision to hand him that first start with a brilliant display.

Leeds pushed Mikel Arteta’s men, particularly during the first-half. The Championship side played some outstanding football and had the Gunners on the ropes. Unfortunately, they could not land the killer punch, and they were punished after the break.

But the Whites left the Emirates with pride in tact. And in Meslier, Leeds appear to have produced another coup in the transfer market.

The 19-year-old made some smart stops when called into action. And he arguably could have done very little about the only goal of the game.

It was his distribution that seemed to impress supporters most. Meslier was comfortable pinging passes out to the wide areas. He not only found his man with the large majority of the balls he played, but he rarely left his teammates with work to do to bring the ball under control.

And plenty of fans have taken to Twitter to insist that Leeds signing Meslier on a permanent basis has to now be considered a no-brainer. Lorient confirmed on their official website when the move was announced that Bielsa’s men have the option to sign the keeper permanently.

In fact, with Casilla’s form coming in for a little criticism more recently, some supporters would seemingly be more than happy if Meslier ended up getting a run as first-choice before the end of the season.

Here is what some of the supporters made of the youngster’s performance against Arsenal…