Iliman Ndiaye's Sheffield United performances have gone up a level on the back of Senegal debut, says Oliver Norwood

Sunday marked the first anniversary of Ndiaye's full senior debut, an occasion he celebrated with two goals at home to Peterborough United.

Twelve months on, Ndiaye is one of the key members of a squad which sits top of the Championship after eight games.

Before then, the French-born player had only played 40 minutes for the club, as a Premier League and a League Cup substitute, but as soon as he committed to a new contract, then-manager Slavisa Jokanovic brought him into the fold. Now the Serb's successor, Paul Heckingbottom, is pushing the board to give the 22-year-old an improved deal.

Heckingbottom has always believed in Ndiaye, giving him his first taste of Premier League football in the Yorkshireman's opening game in caretaker charge of the Blades, at Leicester City in March 2021. The former Leeds United and Barnsley manager claims he is harder on Ndiaye than anyone because he has so much belief in him.

Midfielder Norwood, a product of Manchester United's academy, shares his belief.

"He'll play in the Premier League, 100 per cent, whether that be with us or somebody else," he says.

Ndiaye came into his own when Billy Sharp's 2021-22 was ended by injury - on top of those to David McGoldrick and Rhian Brewster, and with one for Oli McBurnie soon to come. Playing in tandem with Morgan Gibbs-White, Ndiaye scored four goals in the final five matches of the regular season to book the Blades' place in the play-offs.

Previously seen as a No 10 – a player who operates between defence and attack – he showed himself to be more of a modern centre-forward, capable of dropping into those holes but also of leading a forward line.

The end of Gibbs-White's loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers – and another Sharp injury – has increased the onus on him again this season, and he has four more goals already, from eight appearances.

But Norwood believes the biggest factor in his improvement was making his debut for Senegal, against Benin in June.

"I think a big thing for him was going away with Senegal in the summer and playing games there," says the 31-year-old former Huddersfield Town player.

"He just seems to have come back a different player, with a confidence. He wants the ball all the time and he can take two or three players out of the game with one little thing and open up space for anybody else.

"His personality is, 'Just give me the ball!'

"Teams are probably going to start to target him and kick him but I don't think that'll work anyway because he just gets up and gets on with it.

"He's got a bit of bite about him, a bit of nastiness which you need, in a good way.

"If he can continue doing what he's doing for another 40 games, bang in a few more goals and take a few more players on... he's an exciting talent.

"The fans enjoy watching him and as players we enjoy watching him at times. His goal against Blackburn was similar to the one at Fulham (last year). We're even clapping at times at the stuff he does, he's a special talent but he's got to keep producing."

Perhaps significantly, whereas the likes of Norwood have come through Premier League academies, Ndiaye learnt his trade at Boreham Wood before transferring to Bramall Lane as a 19-year-old and plays in a way that belies his quiet off-field persona.

"He's like a street footballer," says Norwood. "The way he dribbles at you and nutmegs people for fun – when he's good, he's unplayable.

"It's pretty simple – he's a very, very good footballer, isn't he?!

"I'm glad I'm not chasing him around because I do enough of that in the week. He's difficult to play against in training and some of the stuff he does is breath-taking.

"I'm glad we have him in our team on a Saturday and not the opposition team because he'd be getting booted everywhere!"

All the focus in the transfer window just gone was on keeping Sander Berge, but retaining Ndiaye was important too.

"For the eight games this season he's been fantastic, if he can keep doing it for another 40 we'll be there and thereabouts (for promotion)," says Norwood.

"But it's not just him. It's up to us to keep supplying him, to look after him and keep getting the performances out of him."

Now the club has to do its bit, says Heckingbottom, who has already urged the board to extend a contract which is due to expire at the end of next season.

"That's not my job to do," the manager says of contract negotiations, not just for Ndiaye but others in the last two years of their contracts.

"We've discussed it and we know the players we want to sit down with. If it was my decision, I'd get on with it.

"It's being looked at, it just takes a long time."

It will be time well spent if the Blades are able to get more out of one of their brightest talents.