Iliman Ndiaye is heading back to Everton as a winner of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Senegal international will be bringing a gold medal back to the Hill Dickinson Stadium after a 1-0 win over Morocco in the AFCON final on Sunday, which will hopefully mean he is full of confidence under David Moyes in the second half of the season.
If that victory had not already given Iliman Ndiaye more belief, a message from Manchester City new boy Antoine Semenyo on Instagram surely will.
Who has been the bigger miss… Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or Iliman Ndiaye? 🤔
Finally some good news coming Everton's way!
Antoine Semenyo tells Iliman Ndiaye he is his “greatest of all time” after Senegal reign supreme
The Manchester City No.42 and the Everton No.10 have similar backgrounds, having reached the top the hard way through gruelling spells in non-league football.
Semenyo clearly admires Ndiaye becoming a champion of Africa having been with Boreham Wood as recently as 2019, telling the Everton star on Instagram: “You are my goat (greatest of all time) well done brother, deserve it man.”
The 26-year-old has just sealed a £65m move to Manchester City and is currently one of the best players in Europe, so it is a bold statement for him to call Ndiaye an inspiration, one that speaks volumes.
The Ghana international was not the only one to send the 25-year-old a message on Instagram.
Adam Aznou also got in touch with his Everton teammate, sending “congrats my brother” to Ndiaye along with a heart emoji.
Antoine Semenyo and Iliman Ndiaye could have been teammates at Everton
Semenyo is now targeting a Premier League title with Manchester City, but had Everton been willing to spend £15m, he could have been turning out at the Hill Dickinson Stadium instead.
Everton wanted Semenyo back in August 2022 as Bournemouth and Crystal Palace also tried to strike an agreement with Bristol City, according to the Daily Mail.
What concerns do you have about Iliman Ndiaye leaving Everton in the summer?😫
Surely Everton must hand him a new contract!
Eventually, it was Bournemouth who managed to agree a £10.5m deal the following January, and the rest is history as he became a superstar on the south coast.
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