Wizard of dribble can shoot for the stars

ILIMAN Ndiaye’s unique skill set makes him indispensable to Sheffield United and arguably the best all-round forward in the Championship.

- Chris Dunlavy

“Ili can be whatever he wants to be,” said his strike partner Oli McBurnie this week. “I say that genuinely because his talent is unbelievable. You just give him the ball and he dribbles past everyone.”

Today, Ndiaye is a World Cup star and a target for half the Premier League; Everton saw a £25m bid rejected in December and the 23-year-old will be a top-flight player next season regardless of whether the Blades win promotion. Yet his route to the top was unconventional.

Born in Rouen to Senegalese parents, Ndiaye honed his skills playing cage football in France, beach football in Dakar and childhood games that often found him dribbling to music whilst his extensive collection of sisters attempted to put in a tackle. Like Championship defenders, they rarely emerged with the ball.

At 16 he moved to England and went on trial at Boreham Wood, a National League club who could scarcely believe what they were witnessing.

“He was training with our first team, taking the mick out of seasoned pros who had played in the Championship and League One,” said manager Luke Garrard. “Obviously we offered him a contract.”