Sheffield United struck gold with non-league star that made Blades £20m: View | OneFootball

Forward Iliman Ndiaye is now with Premier League Everton, but he previously made Sheffield United a fortune after joining from non-league Boreham Wood

Senagalese attacker Iliman Ndiaye now plies his trade in the Premier League, having joined Sean Dyche's Everton from French side Marseille over the summer. It's Sheffield United, however, who have been the main benefactors of the French-born 24-year-old's career thus far, selling him on for a huge profit four years after picking him up from non-league side Boreham Wood.

As a youngster, Ndiaye, who can operate in multiple offensive roles, but predominantly plays just off the main striker, played for youth teams in his home city of Rouen, located in the Normandy region of northern France, with the famous River Seine running through it.

He moved south to briefly join the academy of Marseille, before heading to Senegal as a 14-year-old. Ndiaye and his family came to England in 2016, where the young forward joined the age group sides of London-based non-league side Boreham Wood.

Signing his first senior contract with the Wood in late 2017, Ndiaye wouldn't actually make a first-team appearance for the club, as the creative talent was taken to Bramall Lane to sign with newly promoted top-flight side Sheffield United ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

A 19-year-old Ndiaye spent a few months on loan with non-league Hyde United, before eventually making his Blades debut in a 2021 Premier League defeat, one of many that year as United suffered relegation to the Championship.

Fast-forward 18 months, and Ndiaye's full debut saw him get on the scoresheet as his stock began to really grow, and his potential became more widely obvious.

Over his time in South Yorkshire, which concluded with the Senegal international helping his team win promotion back to the top-flight in 2023, the livewire forward made 88 appearances for the Blades, scoring 22 goals in the process.

One of the stars of the second-tier season, Ndiaye was voted into both the EFL and PFA Team(s) of the Season, but his time at Bramall Lane was coming to an end.

Sheffield United "reluctantly" accept £20m Marseille bid for Ndiaye in 2023

At the beginning of August 2023, the Blades "reluctantly" accepted an offer of around £20m from Ligue 1 side Marseille, with the attacking player heading back to the south of France.

Ndiaye's growth had been rapid, but his ability and potential was evident. The versatile forward offers pace in behind, while possessing the intelligence to find pockets of space and the technique and vision to open up opponents with regularity. He also has an energy and desire about him that endears him to teammates and supporters alike.

While the Senegal international, who has 22 caps for his country up to now, played regularly for the French and European giants, he struggled to make the same impact at the Stade Vélodrome as he had at Bramall Lane.

Though Ndiaye and his teammates reached the last four of the Europa League, they didn't hit the same heights domestically, finishing eighth in the French top-flight, with the attacker making 46 appearances and scoring four goals for Les Olympiens overall.

Ndiaye made a swift return to English football

After one season in France, Premier League side Everton signed Ndiaye on a five-year-deal for a fee reported by bbc.co.uk as being around £15m.

Upon completing the move, Blues manager Sean Dyche told the BBC: “He is still young but has experience at European and international level, and we feel he will be a really positive addition to our squad.”

On the reasoning behind the club's move to bring the forward to Merseyside, Toffees' Director of Football Kevin Thelwell said: “Iliman is a player we have admired for a long time and we are delighted to bring a much sought-after player of his quality to Everton.”

While all associated with the Goodison Park outfit will be pleased with the addition of such a talented, versatile player already well-versed in the demands of English football, Dyche's side have begun the 2024/25 season poorly.

It’s still very early days, however, and Ndiaye will hope to help change that and have just as strong an impact with his new club as he did with Sheffield United. But it's fair to say the Blades certainly struck gold when they signed the non-league youngster back in 2019.