Impressive Ismaila Coulibaly gives Sheffield United welcome food for thought with Wrexham display

Just over an hour in an FA Cup tie against National League outfit Wrexham may not have been in his wildest dreams when the young midfielder made the move from Norway, but his display was a real positive for United on a spicy evening when they booked a fifth-round date with Tottenham Hotspur at Bramall Lane.

Until seeing him in the flesh, United supporters could have been forgiving for wondering if the Malian was something of a myth. Shipped immediately to United’s sister club Beerschot after moving from Sarpsborg 08, Coulibaly enjoyed mixed fortunes in Belgium before finally making the move to England in the summer to avoid Beerschot’s relegation adversely affecting his work permit hopes.

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Just when the then-21-year-old looked to be getting to grips with life at United in pre-season, a knee issue was discovered and surgery was required. The blow was two-fold – United suffered a number of injuries in midfield and it seems inconceivable that Coulibaly wouldn’t have featured earlier.

Instead he was reduced to watching his teammates from the gym while he recovered. “It was a tough moment,” Coulibaly admitted. “It’s always difficult when you come to a new country, a new team, and straight after pre-season you get a bad injury.

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“I really enjoyed playing again. It was difficult to see the lads playing and winning every time and you are not involved and when I got back onto the pitch I was very happy. My family was happy too, and it was a great moment to be back.”

He certainly seized the chance against Phil Parkinson’s side. Given the unenviable task of filling the Oliver Norwood role in the middle of midfield, with the serial promotion winner given a rare rest on the bench, he did a passable impression in the early stages as United dominated the ball, taking it under pressure and laying it off to a teammate in space.

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Coulibaly showed he wasn’t afraid to drive forward with the ball at his feet, either, and also put his foot in when others may have pulled out, to win a loose ball with his opponents’ studs bearing down.

It wasn’t all plain-sailing, skipper Billy Sharp having to shout at his young teammate to calm down after he rashly booted the ball clear when in acres of space and under no pressure, but a composed turn to take his man out of the game completely just a few moments later suggested the advice had been taken on board.

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The Malian was clearly up for the fight, enjoying a remarkable tussle with Wrexham dangerman Paul Mullin on halfway before being booked for deliberate handball moments later.

When he made way, for Norwood with 68 minutes on the clock, three sides of Bramall Lane rose to its feet to applaud him. It was only one start; and United have ambitions to regularly compete against sides from the Premier League rather than the National League. But to Coulibaly, after what he described as the “hardest period of my life”, alone and injured in a new and unfamiliar country, it will have felt like the world.

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