Former Sheffield United starboy Iliman Ndiaye facing real career blow after stunning Everton impact

Iliman Ndiaye, the former Sheffield United starboy, is facing the possibility of injury heartache at Everton after his stunning introduction to life at Goodison Park. The former Blade played a key role in helping United win promotion to the Premier League but didn’t kick a ball for the Blades in the top-flight before leaving for Marseille after a late contract U-turn.

The Blades’ position over their prized asset was weakened after he entered the final year of his contract and the dream move didn’t quite work out as Ndiaye or Marseille anticipated and he made a swift return to England with Everton, who were admirers of the Senegal international during his time with United.

He quickly made up for lost time with eight goals in 26 appearances for the Toffees making him a hero on Merseyside and leaving some Blades fans wondering what could have been had he signed the lucrative deal on the table in front of him and remained a Blade ahead of their Premier League season.

But he is now facing a period on the sidelines after picking up an injury in Everton’s derby draw with Liverpool last week, leaving the pitch gingerly with his shirt over his face to cover his obvious distress. Returning Everton boss David Moyes later revealed Ndiaye had suffered a medial ligament issue after a challenge with Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, the Scot admitting: “It’s not looking great. I’m not sure how long it'll be - it will certainly be a few weeks.”

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The absence could be even longer than that if the injury is worse than first feared and if surgery is needed then it could almost certainly signal the end of Ndiaye’s season. He limped off after 25 minutes of the final ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ahead of Everton’s move to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

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Ndiaye’s form has helped propel Everton to 14th in the Premier League table, ahead of Moyes’ old clubs Manchester United and West Ham United, and if they do indeed seal another season of Premier League football then the Blades will hope they come head-to-head with their former starboy next season by joining them in the top-flight.

Speaking to Goodison News recently, Dr. Rajpal Brar - a sports scientist and specialist in physical therapy, said of Ndiaye: “While no timeline has been put on his return, he did appear to be in tremendous pain as he was taken off. The best case for something like this would be him returning in a few weeks and the worst case would be him needing surgery ... which would rule him out for three months and potentially the season too.”