Iliman Ndiaye hailed by Sheffield United legend amid reports of summer Premier League move

Ndiaye scored his fifth goal in 10 games to send the Blades on their way to a 2-0 victory over Preston North End, which extended their lead at the top of the early Championship table to three points going into the international break.

Still only 22 years of age, Ndiaye also impressed last season as the Blades lost to Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs and Fabrizio Romano, the well-known Italian journalist, reported today that Premier League clubs were interested in Ndiaye over the summer.

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“I’ve been really impressed with this boy since I started seeing him play. I just feel he’s getting better and better and better,” legendary United striker Deane said on United’s SUTV channel.

“That was typified by his performance [against Preston].

“It was a mature performance from him and he’s growing into the role. That’s typified by him knowing when to press, then just a little bit of skill initially to wrong foot the defender and then the composure to open up the space.

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“It all points to someone who is really enjoying themselves playing for Sheffield United.”

Ndiaye will now jet off to represent his country against Bolivia and Iran, hoping to impress manager Aliou Cissé and earn a spot in his squad alongside the likes of Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.

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