Sheffield United sent message over promotion bid by rebuffing interest in star men

Both men were the subject of transfer interest in the latter stages of the January window, with United rejecting a £25m plus add-ons bid for Ndiaye before performing a deadline-day U-turn on their original plan to sell the Norwegian midfielder and lift their transfer embargo by paying their existing debts.

So the 11pm deadline came and went with both players still at Bramall Lane - an outcome that delighted boss Heckingbottom, who made no secret of his preference for the pair to remain and help United see through their promotion job in the second half of the season.

Asked if speculation over their futures, plus the embargo and ongoing takeover talk, had threatened to deflect attention away from on-field matters, Heckingbottom insisted: "It's not a distraction. It's not.

"If anything I think the outcome reinforces our intent and our desire that we want to achieve what we set out to do. And it gives us the best possible chance.

"We've made the best of the situation and I'm really pleased. There were no guarantees and we had to prepare for every eventuality. But everyone was working towards the same thing and we've got that.

Heckingbottom and Co. go into this weekend's South Yorkshire derby at Rotherham United effectively 13 points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough, taking into account their vastly-superior goal difference, and can put more pressure on the chasing pack with a positive result at the New York Stadium.

Berge, who Heckingbottom was asked to omit at Wrexham on Sunday as United's hiarachy discussed his future with other clubs, is expected to come back into the side while Ndiaye makes the short trip across the border looking for his 11th goal of a season that has also seen him register seven assists for teammates.

"It [the transfer embargo] was a big thing for me in the window, because we wanted to know and it changes by the hour," Heckingbottom added.

"Now, there's nothing we can do, so I'm going to forget about it. Leave it to other people, and we can get on with the football now."