‘What A Top Pro’ – Leeds United 33-year-old Impresses Whites Coach
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Leeds United Under-21 coach Scott Gardner has lauded the impact of veteran goalkeeper Alex Cairns on the young stars in his team.
The 33-year-old, a long-term servant of the Yorkshire club, is in the middle of his second spell at Elland Road and providing an experienced option as backup and in training.
While Cairns is well down the pecking order at Leeds, where Karl Darlow is number 1 and Lucas Perri his deputy, he is hugely popular in the squad.
Cairns has been spending time with Leeds’ Under-21 squad over the international break and played his second game of the Premier League 2 campaign against Manchester United in the 2-1 defeat on Friday.
More than his work between the sticks, Gardner has been left impressed with the way Cairns influenced the young players in the team.
According to the manager, Cairns is massively important for the young players due to his calmness and the way he speaks to them.
He dubbed the 33-year-old a ‘top pro’.
“What a top person, what a top pro”, Gardner said on LUTV (1.18) while answering a question on Cairns.
“We have been really lucky that he is [here]. That was his second game.
“He is massively important for the younger lads in particular, just his calmness and the way he speaks to them.
“I thought he was a different class.”
Cairns will be delighted with the praise from Gardner as he looks to continue his association with Leeds, with positive feedback on his impact on the Under-21s doing his cause no harm.
He proved his loyalty towards the club when, after being released in 2015, he thanked the fans for their support and insisted they deserved nothing less than a Premier League team.
Cairns will be out of contract at the end of the season, though, and it remains to be seen whether the club take steps to extend his association any further.
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