Sheffield United boss Slavisa Jokanovic has admitted that he will have to manage talented midfielder Iliman Ndiaye carefully over the season.

The 21-year-old was handed his full debut for the Blades against Peterborough last Saturday and he responded with an outstanding display, scoring two and registering an assist as the side won 6-2.

Therefore, he kept his place for the midweek draw against Preston, with Ndiaye impressing again.

Fans are understandably delighted with the youngster and will expect him to be in the XI against Hull this weekend. However, whilst Jokanovic gave no indication of what team he will pick, he told the Yorkshire Post that he can't put too much demands on Ndiaye at this stage of his career.

"Iliman showed the personality which we have missed in terms of characteristics. He is different from my players as he can play between the lines in the final third with good passes, control and speed. He impressed us in a positive way, but we will check what is the best way to manage him.

"We cannot put all the responsibility on Iliman. We need more people with similar personalities and quality to win more games."

The verdict

This is sensible from Jokanovic and he has shown with young players in the past that he knows how to manage them in terms of helping their career develop.

Of course, that means Ndiaye won't be playing week in, week out, but the support will recognise that he's someone who has talent and needs to be used in the right way.

As Jokanovic says, it's about others stepping up as the Blades shouldn't be in a position where they're relying on a 21-year-old who hadn't started a game for them until last week.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.