After 205 days, the moment Illan Meslier has waited for finally arrived – a start for Leeds United in the Championship.
The French stopper arrived on loan from Lorient on transfer deadline day back in August but has had to wait for an absolute age before finally being granted a spot in the side.
Meslier has saved numerous penalties for Carlos Corberan’s U23 team this season but despite individual errors from Kiko Casilla, he’s been forced to sit on the bench.
The 19-year-old started Leeds’ FA Cup tie with Arsenal in January, earning praise from the home crowd, but this was his very first appearance in the league.
Unfortunately, the outing came about in rather unfortunate circumstances after Kiko Casilla was banned for eight games after being found guilty of racially abusing Jonathan Leko in a match versus Charlton last September.
However, this was Meslier’s big opportunity. He took to Instagram after the game to repost clips of him finally playing in England’s second tier.
It was a moment that was worth the wait as the giant 6 foot 6 stopper got his first minutes as Leeds’ undoubted number one.
He’ll now have a run of seven games where he gets to prove himself before the end of the season in a bid to potentially earn a permanent move to Elland Road.
The image below shows him warming up before the game, a picture that’s been a rarity considering he’s usually helping Casilla get loose before kick-off.
Whether Meslier does enough to earn a regular spot once Casilla returns remains to be seen, but with a transfer clause embedded within the terms of his loan, things may get a little complicated.
A report in the French media suggests that if he plays ten games for Leeds, they will be forced to buy him in the summer.
Meanwhile, Leeds fans think they FINALLY have the missing piece of the jigsaw…
