YOU’VE MADE MY NDIAYE

Blades boss Heckingbottom’s so delighted with razor-sharp Iliman SHEFFIELD UNITED 3 Norwood 31, Ndiaye 73, 79 BLACKBURN 0

ONE striker compared to Lionel Messi and another who can’t hit a barn door these days.

It’s fair to say Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom can choose from a motley crew of forwards. And he’s convinced every one of them will have a key role in the months ahead, including Oli McBurnie, who blew a hatful of chances to end his 20-month league goal drought.

“I’d put my house on him reaching double figures if he played every game,” said Heckingbottom. “But I can’t guarantee him that because there are others who also play in his position.”

And that’s the quandary for the Blades’ chief who boasts arguably the Championship’s most potent attacking arsenal.

Even without the injured Billy Sharp, he could afford to start Iliman Ndiaye on the bench. After Oliver Norwood had broken the deadlock with a superb first-half free-kick, it was the Senegal international who sealed an easy win with two goals in the last quarter.

Norwood later claimed the sub “turned into Messi for the third one” and the description was opt as Ndiaye slalomed past three opponents before finding the net with unerring power.

It was his goal six minutes earlier, however, which must have driven McBurnie mad, with Sander Berge’s shot going in off Ndiaye’s backside.

The sort of goal strikers going through the kind of dry spell he’s enduring pray for! Heckingbottom had sympathy for a player who put in a Herculean shift with no personal reward.

“He’ll be gutted and won’t realise how pleased we are with him because he wants that goal,” added the United boss.

“Oli probably won’t feel it but he had a really good game. If you ask the Blackburn back four, they won’t want to play against him again.”

Rovers arrived at Bramall Lane as league leaders but are unlikely to regain top spot on this evidence.

Jon Dahl Tomasson (below) endured a frustrating spell at Newcastle during his playing career and his first coaching role here could prove as testing unless he’s given the tools to do his job. The Dane’s post-match musings betrayed his sense of helplessness at having such limited resources at his disposal, repeatedly referencing director of football Gregg Broughton as the man responsible for recruitment rather than himself.

“We are a project and there are bumps along the road,” he said. “But let’s get a couple in to boost the morale of the dressing room.”