While most of the country want to see England beat Senegal on Sunday night, there’ll be an element of pride among Sheffield United fans if Iliman Ndiaye plays.
Ndiaye featured for Aliou Cisse’s side in their 2-1 win over Ecuador and played well in doing so. Having come off the bench to nab an assist against Qatar, Ndiaye played more than an hour in that final group game. Deployed on the right, Ndiaye eventually drifted out of the game a tad as things got tense.
But all in all, it was a fine night’s work from the Blades ace. Of course, United fans are fearful that his performances in Qatar could lead to a January sale. Indeed, sources indicate those inside Bramall Lane are bracing themselves for bids for Ndiaye.
And the longer the build-up to England v Senegal goes on, the more attention Ndiaye gets.
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Ndiaye Praised
The Daily Mail have become the latest to mention the Blades star. In their first pre-match build ahead of England v Senegal, they are full of praise for Ndiaye, describing him as a ‘wildcard’ for the Senegalese.
“Iliman Ndiaye, in brilliant form for Sheffield United this season, is a wildcard on the right, with extreme trickery and invention in and around the penalty area,” The Mail writes.
Certainly, it seems that Ndiaye is doing more than catch the attention of United fans. If he can star against England, then his stock will only rise further. And worryingly for United fans, that’s the game where he’s most likely to catch the eyes of onlooking Premier League scouts.
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England’s defence hasn’t looked too troubled in this tournament so far. Even with the energy USA showed, the likes of Maguire, Stones, Shaw and Trippier haven’t looked like conceding too many.
However, Iliman Ndiaye brings them a fresh problem and worryingly for England, a relatively unknown one.
Sure, Gareth Southgate will have done his homework on Ndiaye and Senegal. But he’s not exactly a world star just yet and Luke Shaw – likely to start at left-back – could be in for a tough old night of it.
You can imagine the likes of Maguire, Ramsdale and Walker will be warning the Three Lions about Ndiaye. If he does have a good game, not only will Senegal have a great chance of getting through. But it also means that January bid United fear is more likely.
Ultimately, this is a test for England and one that us United fans are only too aware of.
