Sheffield United: Iliman Ndiaye makes a promise to The Blades fans

The 21-year-old’s rise to prominence has been one of the stories of the season so far at Bramall Lane, with both Paul Heckingbottom and former manager Slavisa Jokanovic both relying heavily upon his services.

Although a contractual issue hampered Ndiaye’s progress after making his senior debut last season, the midfielder recently told The Star he leads a pretty unremarkable lifestyle away from the game - preferring to spend time with his partner and their young daughter rather than enjoying nights out on the town.

“Because I love football so much, it just feels natural for me to work hard in training and try to do my best in games,” Ndiaye said. “I have that commitment and determination because I’m in love with football and prefer to concentrate on that.

“Obviously I love the games and afterwards, I just focus and train and carry on like I have always been doing.”

Ndiaye hopes to make his latest appearance for United when they travel to Peterborough this weekend. He scored two goals and created another when the two clubs met earlier this term, with United running out 6-2 winners.

Ndiaye, who moved to South Yorkshire following a spell with Boreham Wood, said: “It’s been a long time coming (getting into the team) because I’ve been around them for a while. But since I have joined, I have no regrets at all about anything. I am just enjoying and focusing on things.”