Sheffield United: This is why Iliman Ndiaye can go on to become a Bramall Lane great
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But behind him on the touchline, as the crowd went ballistic and Ndiaye’s team mates raced over to congratulate their colleague, Paul Heckingbottom turned back towards the dug-out and gave a nonchalant shrug.
United’s manager had already seen what he wanted from the young Senegal international, despite only introducing him as a substitute 14 minutes earlier. Heckingbottom knows Ndiaye has the ability to befuddle opponents. But what he really enjoys watching, the part of the 22-year-old’s game which has persuaded him the club has a very special talent on its hands, is the way Ndiaye has learnt to operate within United’s strategic framework.
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Hide Ad“Iliman has got that magic in him, we’ve always known that,” Heckingbottom told The Star, after watching the midfielder turned striker claim a brace during the 3-0 win over Rovers which left United on top of the fledgling table. “But he buys his minutes on the pitch because of the role he performs, because of what he does, for the group as a whole.
“If you only see the magic, then people can get used to that. But why I rate him, why I think he can become an even better player, is because of what he does and how he works for the rest of the lads.”
After Oliver Norwood’s free-kick had fired United into a deserved lead, Ndiaye benefited from a stroke of good fortune when he doubled their advantage; Sander Berge’s shot hitting his chest and wrong-footing Thomas Kaminski.
“I thought we deserved it,” Heckingbottom continued. “And I mean that with no disrespect whatsoever to Blackburn, but their ‘keeper was their man-of-the-match. I liked how we took control and then, when they had their moments which people always will have in a tough division like this and because they’re a really good side, we took it back.”
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Hide AdBut Ndiaye’s second was all about fluid running, imagination and finesse - bursting beyond one marker, confusing another with a feint and then caressing an angled finish beyond the Belgian. Those 10 seconds or so of magic revealed why, despite entering only his second full season of senior football, Aliou Cisse recently drafted him into the reigning African champions’ squad. The Lions of Teranga, who count Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly among their number, are now preparing for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.
“Iliman is improving all the time,” said Heckingbottom. “He’s getting better and he’s got a World Cup to go for, which means he’s got that hunger too.
“As a manager, as much as you push these lads, ultimately it has to come from within. And in the case of Iliman, it does. That’s what I really like about him.”