Paul Heckingbottom reveals Iliman Ndiaye concern after Sheffield United star’s transfer

United “reluctantly” sanctioned Ndiaye’s exit to his boyhood club after being informed that the player wished to make the move this summer, despite helping them win promotion to the Premier League next season. There had been much excitement and optimism about seeing Ndiaye in the top-flight before his departure was confirmed, just 11 days before August 12’s season opener at home to Crystal Palace.

Heckingbottom played a big part in Ndiaye’s development - as the club’s former U23s coach and the manager who gave him his Premier League debut during his spell in caretaker charge - but despite wishing his former star man well, is now keen to move on and look to the future.

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Ndiaye was popular with both teammates and staff and his departure is understood to have hit many hard. “I came in when we heard the news and the atmosphere wasn’t great, amongst the staff and the players,” Heckingbottom told Radion Sheffield. “Probably the only one who wasn’t affected by it was me, because you just can’t be.

“It’s about what we do now, not what’s gone. I’m uninterested in speaking about it anymore or how it’s managed. I’m bothered that he does well and enjoys his time there but the focus shouldn’t be on that or trying to portray it in a certain way. Let’s just accept that he wanted to go to Marseille and he’s gone. It’s what we do now that’s important.

“I hope he kicks on ... but there’s lots of things I want him to be wary of. This is his dream move, not a career move. This is his destination. So where’s the motivation? That’s one thing he needs to guard against, in my eyes. Subconsciously, has he achieved what he wanted to achieve now? I know he had other goals and I don’t think this move necessarily aligns with the other goals he had. So they’re the conversations we had.”

“I’d love to still be working with him, but I’m not and I’m not going to lose sleep over it,” Heckingbottom added. “Otherwise, it’ll affect us. Too many people are losing sleep over it and we’ve got too much work to do to be worried about what’s going off with Iliman now.”