Simon Grayson says Leeds United have a player that makes him feel ‘nervous’ and ‘anxious’

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Leeds United’s sixth Championship win of the season against Watford on Tuesday night has seen Daniel Farke’s side climb into second, behind leaders Sunderland only on games won.

Remarkably, Leeds find themselves only in second despite having the same points, goal difference, goals scored and goals against with Sunderland. The Black Cats remain top having won more matches.

But it was another win for Daniel Farke’s side on Tuesday night. A game that Leeds had to ride their luck at times to get the three points, but eventually deserved to secure another victory in the 11th outing.

Third goals of the season for Largie Ramazani and Brenden Aaronson was enough to see Leeds secure a victory, despite Kwadwo Baah’s goal early in the second half. Simon Grayson was in attendance.

• READ MORE: Grayson heaped praise on player that made a big error on Tuesday night

Simon Grayson says what he thinks about Leeds man Illan Meslier

Meslier has six clean sheets in 11 Championship games, conceding only eight goals. But there is always criticism surrounding the Frenchman, especially having made such a howler in the draw at Sunderland.

A superb shot-stopper, the question marks around Meslier come regarding his distribution. It is an area of Meslier’s game that has annoyed Joe Rodon in the past. Grayson says Meslier makes him feel nervous.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds during Tuesday’s win, Grayson said: “There are occasions when you just feel a little bit anxious, a little bit nervous with him sometimes, but a lot of the time, he is a good goalkeeper.”

How Meslier compares to rest of the Championship goalkeepers

While Meslier does have his critics, the Frenchman is a superb option at Championship level. At just 24, he clocked up his 186th outing for Leeds – an incredible achievement for a goalkeeper at such a young age.

Yes, Meslier has that kind of Sunderland mistake in him and it is frustrating. But the Frenchman is capable of stopping certain goals too. On Tuesday, he made a couple of excellent saves to preserve Leeds’ lead.

He could do nothing about the goal, either. If Leeds are going to do anything this season, vice-captain Meslier will play a key role and while he does cause anxiety at times, he is a top class option at this level.