Leandro Trossard makes Besiktas debut in Europa League

Leandro Trossard makes Besiktas debut in Europa League The former Gunner came off the bench as Beşiktaş secured another Europa League qualifying victory and moved within one round of the league phase. Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images Leandro Trossard has made his first appearance for Beşiktaş , helping the Turkish club move a step closer to the Europa League group stage this week. The former Arsenal forward came off the bench as Beşiktaş completed the job against Hradec Králové , offering supporters their first glimpse of a player who left north London after three and a half successful years. Introduced in the 66th minute of Thursday’s Europa League third qualifying round second leg, Trossard helped see out a 1-0 victory that secured a 2-0 aggregate win and booked Beşiktaş’s place in the play-off round. The evening’s only goal came from Vaclav Cerny in the 40th minute, before Trossard was handed his first minutes. Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images The Belgian had two efforts during his 24-minute appearance, with one testing the keeper. Beşiktaş manager Vincenzo Italiano had made it clear before the match that Trossard was still working his way back towards full fitness following a limited individual pre-season programme. Italiano indicated the former Arsenal winger would feature for around 20 to 30 minutes, and that is precisely how the evening unfolded. The appearance marked Trossard’s first competitive outing since completing his permanent move from Arsenal in July. He left the Emirates having made 174 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 36 goals and providing 34 assists, playing a vital role in bringing the Premier League trophy back to north London before embarking on a fresh challenge in Turkey. Beşiktaş are in action again on Sunday evening in the Super Lig, travelling to Alanyaspor , where Trossard will get his first taste of an away day in Turkey. Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images