One Sheffield United player that seems to be forgotten about is Malian midfielder Ismaila Coulibaly. After impressing in pre-season friendlies, supporters couldn’t wait to see Coulibaly’s introduction to competitive English football, but unfortunately that’s not how it panned out.
Coulibaly underwent surgery on his cartilage in August which ruled him out for the first part of the season. However, Paul Heckingbottom has told Yorkshire Live that he “would love” to see the young box-to-box midfielder play a part for the Blades in the second part of the season.
Heckingbottom revealed last week that he was not close to being involved in full contract training and that he was still “weeks” away from that. However, he is “working hard” to get back to full fitness.
Heckingbottom said:
“I would love to see him playing for us this season. If he’d been fit all the time and we weren’t making that happen then that [loan away] may have been something we would have chatted about, but right now I just want to see him fit and to get him training with us.
“If he had been fit he would have been playing games for us. He would have had an opportunity with the numbers that we had. He’s been unfortunate that way.”
My Verdict
I’ve seen a lot of Sheffield United fans write Coulibaly off, despite being a clear standout performer in the pre-season games, along with Oli Arblaster.
Having watched a lot of Belgian football when he was at Beerschot, you could see the talent Coulibaly has. In his first season in the Belgian Pro League, he scored 5 goals in 22 appearances. That’s something he can add to any midfield he plays in, goals.
Coulibaly’s physical attributes are what makes him effective. His engine is extraordinary, and he’s a tough man to knock off the ball. His passing range is limitless, and he loves a longshot if the opportunity presents itself.
But, having said that, he is still 21 and needs time to polish his game.