Iliman Ndiaye: Everton star will unlock Ruben Amorim’s system | OneFootball

“We should have an Amad with the right foot to put on the other side”.

That was Ruben Amorim’s assessment of his Manchester United squad after the dismal 0-1 defeat to ten-man Everton on Monday night, as he rued the lack of attacking threat from left wing-back.

But, in truth, it’s a critique which has existed from the moment the Portuguese coach walked through the door at Old Trafford last November to replace Erik ten Hag, despite the signing of a specialist – Denmark international Patrick Dorgu – in the January transfer window.

The 21-year-old has proven a duel-winning monster, with a great engine and good athleticism. But he’s unpolished from an attacking perspective, and there are valid concerns if there is even a gem to be uncovered, or simply a player who does his best work when the other team has the ball.

The alternatives to Dorgu are deploying right-backs – Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui – on their unfavoured side in a role which their skillsets do not suit regardless.

And it’s this combination of ineffective options at left wing-back going forward that Amorim was acknowledging candidly, in comparison to the right-hand side with the potent pairing of Amad and Bryan Mbeumo.

That’s why INEOS must strengthen this area of the pitch as the wing-backs are absolutely fundamental to their head coach’s system; without an Amad on the left, it will prove impossible for Amorim to get it right at Old Trafford.

And it just so happens the perfect candidate is plying his trade just 50 miles west of Old Trafford: Everton and Senegal star, Iliman Ndiaye.

Baller from the Streets

Ndiaye, 25, has enjoyed a superb season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with the tricky winger showing the full breadth of his talents for the Toffees.

He only has four goals and one assist. But this is primarily due to Everton’s ineffective strikers and being forced to play within David Moyes’ negative system. Last term, he produced nine goals – a strong return, given the constraints he finds himself in.

Iliman Ndiaye - Career Stats

There are few better sights in Premier League football than Ndiaye in full flight with the ball, driving at an opposition fullback and bamboozling them with his outstanding dribbling – a skill honed in the streets as much as in training grounds.

He is also equally comfortable when deployed on either wing with that rare ambipedal trait of being strong with both feet. This also makes him impossible to predict, given his ability to cut inside or go on the outside – and unpredictable wingers keep defenders up late at night.

The Senegal international, who will depart for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) next month, has undergone a storied journey to reach the summit of the English football pyramid, having played for non-league side Boreham Wood eight years ago after being released by Southampton.

During this period, he also featured for Rising Ballers – “a media brand that uses grassroots initiatives to show off unsigned talent,” the BBC explains – with Ndiaye’s ascent to Everton a testament to the organisation’s mission and an inspiration to others.

But the difficult path towards the Premier League has instilled an unrelenting work ethic and drive in the 25-year-old, which, when combined with the skill of street football, produces one of the division’s best wingers not playing for a top six club – and a perfect candidate to offer Amorim what he needs on the left.

Wingers at Wing-Back

To play under Moyes, a winger must offer as much from a defensive perspective as in attack.

They must diligently track back; they have to provide support to their fullback; and they have to understand the general low-block set-up their manager wants to implement on the pitch.

It’s an approach which is why the Scot was destined to fail at Old Trafford, but one which offers Ndiaye the education needed to thrive as a wing-back in the same stadium. If he is trusted by Moyes, he is undoubtedly strong defensively – and there are zero doubts about his attacking abilities.

The Senegal international produced one of the best performances of the season, by any player for any team in the Premier League, against Manchester City last month, despite Everton falling to a 2-0 defeat.

He was electric, exhibiting the full array of his talents, tormenting Pep Guardiola’s defence while always making sure he was in position to help Jake O’Brien, the right back behind him. It was the type of display which will have made England’s elite, and clubs on the continent, sit up and take notice of the prodigious talents playing for one of the country’s ‘smaller’ teams.

United were undoubtedly one, given it was against the club’s bitter local rival. But also because Amorim specifically namechecked Ndiaye in a pre-match press conference before the Everton defeat, describing him as “amazing”.

The Portuguese coach has offered similar praise for Amad over the past twelve months, with the left-footed right-winger offering him exactly what he needs at right wing-back, because the Ivorian works as hard without the ball as he is skilful with it.

Ndiaye is cut from the same cloth, combining ingenuity and industry in equal measure, except he is right footed and capable of playing on the left – the area of the pitch Amorim is on the record stating he needs an upgrade in.

Plan B to Semenyo

Another candidate admired by the former Sporting manager is AFC Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo, who United explored a deal to sign in the summer before pivoting to Bryan Mbeumo.

The Ghana international instead signed a new contract at the Vitality Stadium and has gone from strength to strength under the continued tutelage of Andoni Iraola this season. His efficiency in front of goal, in particular, has radically improved.

Semenyo remains on United’s radar with the 25-year-old winger’s versatility, work rate and attacking output making him one of the Premier League’s most complete forwards.

The new deal, which runs until 2030, contains a release clause worth £65 million, which becomes active in the first ten days of the January transfer window. It’s a costly outlay – but a fair one, given his quality and form at present.

As relayed by The Peoples Person, United have reportedly made advances towards signing Semenyo in January with an offer tabled to his representatives in a meeting this week. But the Red Devils are joined by their domestic rivals – namely City and Liverpool – in a red-hot race for the Ghanaian winger, with the Merseyside club leading the way.

If either club pay the release clause, Semenyo is unlikely to choose Old Trafford over Anfield or the Etihad, given the offer of Champions League football at both. He would also be signed to play as a winger for either, whereas it would be a conversion to wing-back at United.

Semenyo’s profile – a hard-working 6’1 winger with excellent athleticism and superb dribbling off either foot – makes him an ideal candidate for this transition, however. United’s left-hand side would be transformed by his arrival, but it feels increasingly like he will end up at a rival come January.

Which is why INEOS must zero in on Ndiaye.

The Senegalese winger offers a similar selection of attributes to Semenyo, but without the intense transfer battle the Ghanaian is set to be subject to next month.

If United were to line up with Amad flanking Mbeumo and Ndiaye overlapping Matheus Cunha, opposition defences would be stretched beyond breaking point – and this is precisely the overloading effect Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system seeks to inflict.

At present, only the right is capable of providing this. But launching a raid to secure Ndiaye would balance the Red Devils’ ability to unbalance their opponents and allow their coach to recreate the success he enjoyed in Lisbon.

It would give him his Amad with the right foot to put on the left.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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