Exclusive: David Prutton identifies key Leeds United issue that goes past Illan Meslier | OneFootball

David Prutton has spoken exclusively to Football League World about the future of Leeds' goalkeeper.

David Prutton has warned Leeds United that their problems lie further than the mistakes of Illan Meslier, and more changes are needed throughout the team if promotion is won to the Premier League.

The Whites have been incredibly inconsistent recently, and after their excellent 3-1 win over Sheffield United at the end of February, they have found it tough to maintain the high standards that they set for themselves.

Mistakes by their French goalkeeper have plagued them over the course of the last few years, but this season they have felt more costly than ever, and Daniel Farke made the decision to play second-choice shot-stopper, Karl Darlow, against Luton Town at the weekend.

Leeds have to find a solution to this issue in the summer, and according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, the decision has been made to sell Meslier whether they are playing football in the Premier League or Championship next season.

Prutton weighs in on Meslier's future at Leeds

It cannot be denied that the errors that the Frenchman has made recently have cost the team points, with his mistake against Swansea City at Elland Road allowing Harry Darling the opportunity to fire in from close-range, the latest.

The Whites have lost control of the race for promotion, and it looks as though now, Meslier's future has been decided.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, David Prutton has backed Leeds to let go of the 25-year-old, but believes more needs to be done to fix the rest of the squad as well.

He told FLW: "We’re looking at a player who's clocked up almost 200 appearances for Leeds United. I remember when he came into the side when Kiko Casilla got banned for that long stretch of time, and he was obviously part of a side that got promoted.

"There are question marks about his quality in the Premier League, but you could lay that at the feet of 90% of the Leeds squad that got up there.

"In regards to having no real competition, obviously Karl Darlow has come in and has now taken the spot with the experience that he's got behind him, but that's down to recruitment.

"They did have a spell Leeds where the players who came in, the misses were as much as the hits, so it’s a collective responsibility."

Prutton continued: "I don't think you can just blame everything solely on Meslier at all. Yes, he has made mistakes and, in football, the goalkeeper is the most isolating of positions. It can be the most catastrophic in football in terms of the outcome of a mistake that's made.

"But if they do go up, it would not just be the goalkeeper that you'd look at regarding how they stay in the division, it would be several positions in the side.

"So, I think any team that's worth its salt in the Premier League needs a goalkeeper, it needs someone who can score the goals in the Premier League to keep them there. So it’s not one position they need to look out for, it’s several."

Meslier's time at Leeds has to come to an end

Frustrations with Meslier are at an all-time high, and the decision had to be made by Farke to switch his goalkeepers in an attempt to salvage any hopes of winning promotion.

Teams will have started to target him from crosses, and corners would have become more of a problem for Leeds, as proven by his mistake against Swansea, and putting an experienced pair of hands in Darlow between the posts may help.

However, they need a goalkeeper who will show consistency, has experience and is extremely reliable. Nick Pope and James Trafford have been touted as replacements for Meslier, and both can be seen as an improvement.

Pope has been a constant feature in the Premier League over the last few years, but Newcastle United are also keen on Trafford, and if they make a move for the Burnley 'keeper, then a move for their current number one to Elland Road could happen.