"Best player I have ever seen in a Sheffield United shirt" - Iliman Ndiaye named in Blades return debate | OneFootball

Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy gave his view on one player he would bring back to the club if given the opportunity.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield United have had a fantastic start to the season following their return to the Championship.

Level on points with league leaders Sunderland, the Blades have only conceded seven goals so far.

However, a clinical eye for goal has escaped the team at times, which brought back memories of a former player who truly made his mark at Bramall Lane.

Speaking to FLW, our Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy gave a clear message about which of the Blades' former players he would bring back to the club, and why they would fit in perfectly with Chris Wilder's current side.

Current Everton attacking midfielder Iliman Ndiaye was the only option for Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy, who heralded the Senegalese playmaker as the best player he had ever seen play for the club.

Iliman Ndiaye proved his quality at Sheffield United

Blades fan pundit Jimmy had no trouble in identifying Iliman Ndiaye as the one player he would love to see return to the club, stating that he need not ask for more detail on the question, as it was such an easy decision. Jimmy said:

"Usually with these sorts of questions I ask for a bit more detail, but I don't need to for this one. I would bring back Iliman Ndiaye, tomorrow, as he plays right now. He is the best player I have ever seen in a Sheffield United shirt.

"The difference-maker, the X-factor, whatever name you want to give him, he's the best player I've ever seen in a United shirt. Bring back Iliman Ndiaye."

It is safe to say that Ndiaye left his mark on Bramall Lane during his time at the club. 87 appearances and 22 goals between the ages of 20 and 23 showed just how much potential the Senegalese international possessed.

Ndiaye's best season came in his last year with Sheffield United, in which he directly contributed to 24 league goals, registering an astounding 2.71 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.

This marked Ndiaye as the league's best dribbler that season.

He also created 1.24 chances per game, another statistic demonstrating his creativity.

All in all, Ndiaye proved that, at the age of only 22, he had the potential to be a future star and had already established himself as one of the Championship's top players.

Sheffield United need a clinical finisher

The reason Jimmy advocated for an Iliman Ndiaye return was due to Sheffield United's current profligacy in front of goal.

Our pundit feels that the club are often stable in games, but struggle to make the most of opportunities. He said:

"We are a side that is struggling to convert. We dominate most games and we have talent throughout the team, but we sometimes struggle to convert our chances. Iliman Ndiaye would be the absolute cherry on the cake for this team."

Ndiaye has proven time and again that he is a clinical finisher when deployed in the number 10 role. He registered 14 goals from only 1.7 shots per game in his final season with the Blades; a very impressive return.

The Senegalese forward was also racking up less than one shot on target for every 90 minutes in which he featured, meaning that when chances were presented to him, he converted them with ease.

Despite their excellent form, Wilder's Blades have only scored 19 goals from 15 fixtures this season, so there is certainly work to do in front of goal. Ndiaye has notched two goals so far for Everton, having played 11 league games for the club.

A return to Bramall Lane may seem out of the question at present, but few fans would disagree with Jimmy when viewing Ndiaye as one of the best players to don the Blades' shirt in recent memory.