‘We are aware of his situation’: Manager speaks out on 20-year-old Leeds ace

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Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier has been described as a “good player” by Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley, in conversation with Yorkshire Live, ahead of the two sides meeting at Elland Road in the Championship on Saturday.

Ahead of Leeds taking on Hull last week, Marcelo Bielsa found himself without the services of Kiko Casilla, who had been hit with an eight-match ban after being found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic’s Jonathan Leko.

That meant young Leeds on-loan stopper Meslier had to come in for his first Championship appearance, and just his second appearance in all competitions, having made his debut against Arsenal in the FA Cup earlier this year.

The 20-year-old barely put a foot wrong against Hull, claiming shots and high balls without too much trouble, and kept a clean sheet as the Leeds outfielders also did their job superbly, putting four past the beleaguered Tigers.

When asked by Yorkshire Live whether his team will target Meslier at Elland Road, Cowley responded: “We watched him in the Arsenal game, and he did exceptionally well in that game.

“I know he got lots of plaudits for that game and I watched that game back – and I could see why.

“He is obviously a young goalkeeper but he has a lot of experience in France prior to this loan.

“You are not the Leeds United No2 keeper without being a good player and being ready to step up for the challenge.

“So, while we are aware of his situation, we have respect for him as a player.”

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In football, they say if you’re good enough, you’re old enough – and in his two senior games thus far, Meslier has shown he is certainly good enough.

Two impressive performances when called upon, against Arsenal and Hull, will have given him a huge confidence boost ahead of his first senior game at Elland Road.

It will be a tricky task, given the danger posed by the likes of 16-goal Karlan Grant, 8-goal Steve Mounie and Juninho Bacuna, who has six goals and five assists.

However, Meslier will just treat it as another day at the office and won’t be overawed – not to mention he will have a fortress full of Leeds fans roaring him on this time.