Paul Merson misses 'brilliant' James Trafford moment in Leeds debut vs Nottingham Forest

Leeds United's James Trafford left Paul Merson in awe with one first-half moment versus Nottingham Forest despite the pundit originally missing it.

The goalkeeper joined for a club record fee and the expectation is for him to raise the floor for the Whites.

Early signs of him doing just that were found in the opening weekend clash against Nottingham Forest.

Trafford was thrown straight into the line-up as expected and it did not take long for him to be tested properly.

As the home side whipped in a free-kick, the England international was forced into action.

Producing a save that proved why he was signed with pundit Merson making an admission over the moment.

Which moment in Leeds vs Nottingham Forest did James Trafford impress?

In the first half of Leeds' away trip to the City Ground, neither keeper had much to deal with.

In fact, in the opening 45 minutes, Trafford and Sels had a combined two saves, with both coming from the Leeds shot-stopper.

However, it was Trafford's first save in the 17th minute that caught the eye, well perhaps not for Merson.

As Forest looked to score the opening goal, a free-kick was whipped into the box with Igor Jesus getting a strong head on the ball, but it was met with a stronger hand by the Whites' number one.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Merson, although he was meant to be covering Leeds' clash, admits he got a little bit distracted during that moment, missing the save.

He said: "Yeah, good save, good save by Trafford. If I am being honest, I was watching the save by Pickford [in Everton versus Crystal Palace]."

Finally, when the replay came around for the save, Merson was able to provide more of a response, saying: "It gets whipped in, header, and Trafford gets down. Brilliant, brilliant save."

Trafford would later be called into action again in the first-half, with a save in the 36th minute

It was not quite as eye-catching but those easy saves are just as important as the tougher ones.

What Trafford brings to Leeds besides his shot-stopping

Trafford's mentality and temperament were also on show for the Whites against Nottingham Forest.

Despite repeated back passes, and the home crowd jeering, the Englishman never looked to be affected by it.

He was routinley calm and composed, providing the defenders with another option to pass to throughout their build up.

While he was quite expensive, he may be looking to be an early bargain and a gamechanger already.