Iliman Ndiaye of Senegal, wearing a Manchester City kit, running during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between France and Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 16, 2026
Manchester City are being tipped to join the race for Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye.Imago

Ex-Everton employee 'worried' about what he's seen from Iliman Ndiaye at Man City

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Iliman Ndiaye is a top player but has found the switch to Manchester City difficult to adapt to.

That is according to experienced former Tottenham, Everton and Aston Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The Senegalese international has not been poor by any stretch at the Etihad side, but he has certainly not hit the levels he found at Everton.

Manchester City paid a lot of money for the former Toffees winger, with a deal worth £65million being agreed on deadline day.

Enzo Maresca trusted the forward upon the return of domestic football, handing him a start in the highly anticipated bout against Liverpool.

However, the 26-year-old was left behind by his fellow teammates, with one in particular stealing the limelight.

Why Iliman Ndiaye was always going to be "worrying" at Man City

There is always more attention on big-money signings, and that is simply the nature of football.

Ndiaye is no different, and with the winger currently struggling to make an impact, he could soon be displaced by Jeremy Doku.

"He's certainly taking time to settle in. It's always worrying when a player joins a football club for a lot of money," King told Football Insider.

"You know, he can play football; that's not a problem, but he's settling in after you've been at a football club for two or three years, into a routine you get, and all of a sudden you join another football club, and those routines go out the window, as such.

"But I think Doku certainly proved that he's come back in terms of fitness. And at the time he was on the football pitch, I mean, well, he did change the game, didn't he?

"Directness, taking on players, balls getting into the box, his own finishing."

Iliman Ndiaye of Senegal, wearing a Manchester City kit, running during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between France and Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 16, 2026
Iliman Ndiaye given brutal Man City reality check by ex-Everton man

Not yet time to panic over Ndiaye

As King stated, it can take time for a player to settle in, and perhaps that is what we are seeing with Ndiaye in his early Man City career.

When time passes, he will begin to build up those relationships both on the training ground and on the pitch.

However, those worrying concerns will still linger throughout if he continues to struggle to make the desired impact, with him yet to register a goal involvement for City in the Premier League.

Questions will then inevitably arise over whether he was the right signing for City in the first place.

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