Former Leeds United ace Jon Newsome has revealed his disappointment at Marcelo Bielsa’s decision to recall Kiko Casilla for the final two games of the season.

The Spaniard made just one appearance for Leeds in the Premier League prior to the last pair of fixtures, against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion, when he played 180 minutes.

Casilla was found guilty of racially abusing Charlton Athletic player Jonathan Leko in September 2019 and was subsequently given an eight-match ban, per The Guardian.

Since then, he has routinely been left out by manager Marcelo Bielsa, prior to his surprise recall.

Bielsa did not exactly explain his decision but he did praise his behaviour as a player and a team-mate, per Leeds Live.

Newsome does not believe that the Spaniard’s selection can be justified, and felt that Bielsa’s decision reflected poorly on the club as a whole.

Indeed, Illan Meslier enjoyed a fantastic season in goal, keeping 11 clean sheets in 35 games at the age of just 21.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Newsome said: “What happened and what he was found guilty of, it’s a really important issue in society, not just the game of football. I found it a very difficult decision to understand, really.

“Meslier has had such a great season. Is Casilla leaving? Was it his chance to say goodbye?

“Well, if that was the case, surely you just play him in the last game of the season like he did with (Gaetano) Berardi and Pablo Hernandez.

“So yeah, it was a difficult one for me. And I think I sit with the majority of the players scratching my head and wondering why that decision was made. I don’t think it particularly reflected too well on the club.”