Sam Byram shares how the Leeds United squad have dealt with Illan Meslier after Hull City disaster

Illan Meslier likely knew as soon as he made his errors against Hull City that the backlash from Leeds United fans would be intense. The French goalkeeper is no stranger to criticism from supporters.

This season, Meslier has continued to struggle with mistakes. He made a costly error in injury time against Sunderland, denying Leeds a 2-1 victory, and failed to prevent a soft shot from finding the back of the net against Preston.

Had he saved both goals, Leeds would be sitting on 57 points, four more than their current total of 53. Similarly, on Saturday, Meslier’s mistakes cost Leeds two points, as they were leading 3-1 in the 80th minute.

His performance seems to have intensified discussions about potential changes. Leeds are now open to selling Meslier, with manager Daniel Farke reportedly reconsidering his stance and looking to replace him.

Sam Byram has come to Meslier’s defense, however. The frustration was evident on the faces of Joe Rodon, Joel Piroe, and Joe Rothwell when Meslier dropped the ball for Joao Pedro’s tap-in, showing signs of being fed up with him.

But Byram, speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, explained that the team has been supporting Meslier to lift his spirits. “All you can do is support your teammates. At the moment, it is such a high-pressure environment. Every player will make mistakes, but as a goalkeeper, if anything you do leads to a goal, it’s under a microscope,” Byram said.

He continued, “If you’re a striker and you miss, or a full-back and your man beats you, it doesn’t lead to a goal, and doesn’t come under as much scrutiny. As a team, we back each other. Everyone is doing their best, giving 110% every game. If someone is having a tough time, we put our arm around them, and that’s what we do here.”

With a break in the Championship schedule this weekend, the focus shifts to the FA Cup. Leeds face Harrogate, and it’s likely Karl Darlow will start in goal. This could provide Farke with the perfect opportunity to give Darlow a run in the team. If he keeps a clean sheet and the match goes smoothly for him, it’s plausible he will be given the chance to retain his place for Leeds’ next league match against Sheffield Wednesday.

MSNfootballNews

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