Illan Meslier represents one of the reasons why Régis Le Bris is now Sunderland’s manager but on Friday night he and his Leeds teammates hope to silence a packed Stadium of Light.
As a teenage goalkeeper in a Lorient academy run by Le Bris, Meslier learned to fight under the tutelage of a professional boxing coach he now credits with having taught him “courage” during one-on-one clashes with centre-forwards.
