Add as preferred source on Google

Leeds United youngster Illan Meslier has named Edwin van de Sar as his goalkeeping hero, but jokingly acknowledged that picking a former Manchester United star would not be a popular choice.

Meslier, 20, is currently the first-choice goalkeeper at Elland Road and the youngest shot-stopper playing regularly in the Premier League.

The French colossus has on the whole impressed at the start of the season during his first taste of top-flight football, as he’s showed off his great range of passing and has been commanding when defending his box.

Retired Dutchman Van der Sar is a Premier League icon that managed 132 clean sheets in the top division across spells with Fulham and Man United, winning four league titles with the latter.

Meslier responded when asked who is Premier League goalkeeping boyhood idol was growing up:

“I remember Van der Sar at Manchester United. I think it’s this but it’s not a good team,” he laughed, as quoted by the club’s official Twitter account.

TBR’s View:

Leeds have an extremely inexperienced squad when it comes to play at the top level, with Meslier a perfect example of that.

After moving to Elland Road on loan last season, he took over from Kiko Casilla as the first-choice goalkeeper near the end of the campaign to hlp them get over the line for promotion in the Championship and he ended up joining on a permanent basis.

He now finds himself as a nailed-on starter for a Premier League club and he’s been extremely busy so far, but is standing up to the task well and he’s got so much potential to become a superstar further down the line as he develops.