SIX years ago, Iliman Ndiaye was catching the train from Sheffield to Hyde to play non-league football.
But now the “showman” has got his chance to become at .
, who left in the summer, is set for a run in City’s side — starting tomorrow lunchtime at — after right winger with a knee injury.
It is only eight miles from Hyde to the Etihad — but Ndiaye has come a long way.
And nobody knows how extraordinary the Senegal international’s journey has been better than David McGurk.
Former York and Darlington defender McGurk was the boss of seventh-tier Hyde United who signed Ndiaye on loan from in January, 2020.
Within weeks, McGurk and his players realised they had something special on their hands.
McGurk, 44, who also spent the 2016-17 season turning out for Hyde, said: “I played professionally for 16 years and had never seen anything like him.
“It is always hard to tell if a player is going to reach the very top.
“Iliman came to Hyde, did well, and then went straight into the plans of Paul Heckingbottom, who was United manager at the time.
“He adapted to that level and quickly became one of their best players.”
At Manchester-based Hyde — who were then in the Northern Premier League — Ndiaye arrived at a level where defenders were seasoned pros, hardened by years of non-league football. But, according to McGurk, once he received the ball, the age gap looked meaningless.
McGurk said: “He was a really quiet lad, but not on the pitch.
“He was aggressive, just got on with his game and spoke with his football.
“The defenders either couldn’t get near him or he was too skilful to get away from them.
“Some of them did go after him in terms of being aggressive and kicking him, but at a young age he was a strong boy. He had a real core strength to him, so he rode a lot of the tackles.
“A lot of people were unaware of him so they didn’t really know what they were coming up against. By the time he had gone past them it was too late.”
McGurk could see that France-raised Ndiaye, whose father Mouhamadou Abdoulaye was a professional choreographer, still had things to learn and there was one game when he missed a couple of chances and was feeling sorry for himself.
But McGurk did not sugar-coat and stated: “I told him he was going to play at the very top level but to get there he needed to take them chances.
“You could see there were parts of his game that needed work, with his end product and final decision making.”
Off the pitch, McGurk remembered a quiet and humble youngster who simply wanted to play football and who travelled by train most days from Sheffield.
McGurk said: “Iliman had no airs and graces.
“He was really streetwise, managed everything he needed to and did anything he could just to come and play football.”
Ndiaye, who also spent a season in France with , only played nine games for Hyde before the Covid pandemic brought the season to an abrupt halt.
But those matches were enough to leave a lasting impression.
And there was even one occasion when McGurk had to tell his young star to tone down the flair.
He said: “We did have to warn Iliman in one game to be careful with his tricks and flicks. We were leading the game 5-2 and he was sort of showboating, but it was just his natural game.”
Former Blades boss is backing Ndiaye to live up to his price tag after City bought him from the Toffees on September 1 for £60m up front with £5m in possible add-ons.
He said: “He’s quiet and he’s shy but on the pitch it’s his stage and he becomes a showman.
“He has no problem conducting a whole stadium with his goal celebrations or when he’s got the ball at his feet.
“Everyone likes him wide but I like him in the middle of the pitch.
“I say that to everyone who is working with him. ‘Play in the middle, play in the middle’. I just think the smaller the space, the tighter the margins.
“He’s a fantastic kid and obviously we had a lot of time together and his journey has been really good and enjoyable for me.
“He’s always rose to the challenge and I’m sure he will do the same there.
“He was probably on his way out at Sheffield United. There was no way you could let someone like that go, you know.
“When I was in charge of the Under-23s I copied what the first team was doing and started working with him.
“I saw how bright and what a talent he was then.
“One of my favourite memories was when they were announcing the 2022 squad when he’d just got in the Senegalese team and all the Sheffield United boys were around him when they announced it.
“His was the last name read out and a big cheer went up. Everyone likes him and that showed it.”
McGurk and co-founder, former York manager Michael Morton, own Tactx, which analyses games and develops coaching sessions for grassroots coaches through a subscription service.
