Iliman Ndiaye was rewarded for his fine first season with Sheffield United by being called up by Senegal and his coach, Aliou Cisse, is happy with the Blades ace.
Ndiaye was given his debut in the 3-1 win against Benin over the weekend. Brought on up front, Ndiaye actually had a golden chance to open his account but couldn’t get the ball quite under control from inside the 18-yard box. However, on the whole, it was a satisfying debut for the United starlet.
And speaking to Wiwi Sports, his new international coach Cisse admitted he was happy with Ndiaye and hinted that future call-ups were on the horizon for the United striker.
“Satisfied ! I am satisfied ! Iliman was very happy to be here. He had very, very big eyes since the beginning of the week. He’s a boy who has quality, capable of playing everywhere. He has a good mentality, so yes we will continue to follow him,” Cisse told his post-match presser.
SAKA, ANTONY AND 10 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS HEADING TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP
Ndiaye finished the season for United with seven goals and was one of only two players to tuck away their penalty in the playoff shootout loss against Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago. He signed a new contract at the start of the season, although his international call could lead to yet another down the line.
Our View: Ndiaye Needs Bumping Up The United Pay Scale
There’ll be no pressure from the Sheffield United end to sell Ndiaye. His new contract means the club are well protected, for now at least anyway.
The risk for United now is that his agents start touting the line of Ndiaye being an international footballer and with that, his wages should reflect that. Of course, it’s down to the club to sort these things internally, but you’d imagine Ndiaye isn’t one of the top earners at Bramall Lane right now.
In a way, it might make sense for the Blades to sort another new contract ASAP. Giving Ndiaye that bit more financially, as well as adding another year or two on, will help ensure United are well-protected when the inevitable Premier League bids come for the forward.
