Liam Cooper has revealed he has been surprised by how good a grasp of English new signing Kiko Casilla has.
The 32-year-old Spaniard became Leeds United’s first signing of the January window on Thursday when he signed from Real Madrid on a four-and-a-half year contract.
One-time Spain international Casilla heads to England after spending the entirety of his career to date in Spain.
“”All players demand respect and he’s got that aura about him,” said Cooper of Casilla, as quoted by the YEP. “Obviously the boys aren’t stupid, they know what he has done in the game and what a great coup for the club. I can’t wait to get working with him and learn from him.
“He seems a very nice man. His English was surprisingly good so that seems okay but if there’s a few words that he is struggling with then I am sure Pablo and the boys will help him out. ”
OPINION
It should help Casilla acclimatise in England that he speaks some English and there are plenty of Spanish speakers already at Elland Road, most notably manager Marcelo Bielsa and many of his backroom staff, as well as star player Pablo Hernandez. Leeds lost another main from Spain when Samuel Saiz left initially on loan last month, but many will happily swap the playmaker with a goalkeeper good enough to make an immediate impact in the first team. Casilla won’t make his debut against Stoke City on Saturday, but it is only a matter of time before he takes over from Bailey Peacock-Farrell, whose fallibility has becoming impossible to avoid. It will benefit the Northern Irishman to take a back seat for a while, work on technical aspects of his game and soak up the experience and knowledge of Casilla, a keeper rated by Spanish experts as one of the best five in his homeland. Welcome to Leeds.