Illan Meslier play-off criticism labelled 'harsh' by former Leeds United man

It's safe to say Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier has always split opinion amongst the fanbase.

The 24-year-old developed into a regular under Daniel Farke ever since he arrived at Elland Road last summer and was a trusty member of the squad that almost secured promotion back to the Premier League. But that doesn't come without his critics.

A superb shot-stopper, Meslier's positioning and decision-making are often two facets of his game that face scrutiny, with there sometimes a suggestion Leeds could be better off with someone else in between the sticks. It is worth noting he is still only 24 years old and kept 19 clean sheets in the Championship last season, the highest in the division.

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Leeds' goalkeeping department has been a bone of contention for many years, from the days of Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Paul Robinson. But one former shot-stopper to have fronted the weight of expectation at Elland Road feels Meslier deserves a lot more credit overall.

"I think, in all honesty, as the goalkeeper, it's a position you do get a bit of flacking but I think certainly what I always try to do is be very honest about my performance," began Nigel Martyn, speaking to BestBettingSites.co.uk.

"So, if I let in a goal that I think I should have saved or done better with, I'll voice that straight away to my teammates, to the manager, I'll go in and apologize and go sorry, that isn't good enough.

"On the flip side, if you play really well, I just keep my mouth shut and get on with it. There's obviously more outlets, and there are more ways to vent your frustration, in my time it was more on the day, you would get the grief and if you deserved it, you deserved it and that's part of being a goalie, but you just work hard and you come back for the next game. It's harsh, he [Meslier] is young, but he's played, I don't know, 200-odd games now, probably or more, so the experience has got to be there."

"Technically on the goal, to go where Adam Armstrong finishes, and he finished well, but to go the way that Ilan did that day, I think he might reflect on that and think I possibly shouldn't have got into the position I got into to try and make that save. There was enough distance there for reaction to happen and not try and get into that block position, which is a good position when the player is a lot closer to you."