With a number of players coming into Marcelo Bielsa’s squad over the past two seasons, there has been a lot of team bonding to be done, to which the current Leeds United squad have gelled very well.

Marcelo Bielsa has managed to build a squad very much equipped to clinch automatic promotion from the Championship this season, as they sit seven points clear of third-placed Fulham.

Rather than building a side full of individual talent that might not work well together, Bielsa has done the opposite with a well-oiled machine that completely pulls in the right direction and every player knows their part to play.

With such a strong group of players spending a lot of time together, there has to be a lot of downtime where the players get to enjoy themselves at the training ground and bond over matters outside of football.

With Barry Douglas coming in as a new signing in the summer of 2018, he has taken to the Leeds squad well and has been reflecting on which of his teammates have done likewise.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Douglas was asked who he believes has the best banter at the club, to which he replied: “You know what, I’m going to give you a dark horse. 

“Who I think is one of the funniest in the squad is Illan Meslier, just because of his one-liners!

“He’s a great character, he’s so bubbly and everyone took to him straight away. 

“He’s a great personality to be around and you don’t expect it, having past experience of playing abroad, it can be intimidating, but there is no shyness whatsoever.”

The on-loan French ‘keeper is currently only just making his way into the first-team for the league after Kiko Casilla’s ban, and with two clean sheets in his first two league starts, he’s clearly taken to the pitch as well as he's taken to the squad off it.

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The verdict

It’s clear that there’s a lot of backing for Meslier to be a hit at Elland Road, with his character and actual potential being strong indicators.

Meslier has had to be patient for his opportunity but the players are taking him into the group really well and there is scope for him to have a long future at Leeds.

It’s hard for a young player to come to a different country and instantly make a good impression but Meslier is doing just that.

It would seem like very smart business for Leeds to trigger a permanent deal at the end of his loan, considering how well he has played so far.

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