It was all going to click into place one day but no one saw Sheffield United’s romp of Peterborough coming

It was the Iliman Ndiaye and Morgan Gibbs-White show at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon as the young Blades debutants played a major part in Sheffield United’s first league win of the season.

The Blades recorded an emphatic 6-2 home win over recently-promoted Peterborough United as the Yorkshire outfit made a huge statement of intent after a recent poor run of form.

Ndiaye has been a weapon hiding up the sleeve of Slavisa Jokanovic since the Serbian took charge at Bramall Lane. Some fans would argue that the 21-year-old should’ve been deployed from the very start of the campaign, however, contract disputes meant that the midfielder’s game time was limited.

Any doubt regarding the playmaker’s future was extinguished last week when it was announced that he had signed a new three-year deal with the club with the promise that he would be firmly in Jokanovic’s first-team plans.

It was widely believed that Ndiaye would be involved for the next league game as soon as the contract was signed having already made his first-team debut last season in a 5-0 defeat at Leicester City, and coming on as a second half substitute in the Carabao Cup win over Derby County earlier this season.

However, with the shackles finally unchained, no one expected quite the impact he went on to make in his first league start for the Blades side against Peterborough.

Not even a third of the first half had been played before the Frenchman netted on his full debut for the Blades, with fellow debutant Gibbs-White teeing the midfielder up for a tidy first-time finish into the bottom right corner. Ndiaye would also go on to score United’s fifth with a smart looping header late in the second half.

As for Gibbs-White, he too shone on his first appearance for the Blades after securing a deadline day loan move from Premier League outfit Wolves.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been in the conversation at Molineux since their promotion to the top-flight three years ago, but obtaining a regular starting place has always been slightly beyond the Englishman.

Gibbs-White’s move to Bramall Lane isn’t his first Championship loan, having joined Swansea City on a temporary basis last season. The loan was certainly temporary as the playmaker made just six appearances having suffered a foot injury and was recalled in January with Wolves suffering from an injury predicament of their own.

The expectation and hope for the Stafford-born youngster is that his presence in a Blades shirt will offer an alternative in the creativity department on a regular basis throughout the campaign. Exactly what he did on Saturday.

A goal and an assist against the Posh was a pretty decent way in which to introduce yourself to your new fans and that sort of forward-thinking play is what will be expected of the loanee. Staying fit will be the major obstacle to overcome.

Other notable mentions should be directed towards Billy Sharp and Ben Osborn. The latter netted a brace whilst the veteran captain was heavily involved throughout the contest, recording three assists. John Fleck also looked somewhat back to his best, scoring his first goal since January 2020.

A defensive lapse from Jack Robinson, which allowed Peterborough’s Jack Marriott to equalise at 1-0, and John Egan’s naive challenge in the area to concede a penalty, won and netted by Jonson Clarke-Harris, will certainly need to be reflected on by Jokanovic before Tuesday night’s home clash against Preston North End.

Finally being off the mark feels good. The international break certainly helped and some new faces also contributed. Now, it’s all about consistency and using the Peterborough success as a platform to build from. Is this where the season starts for Sheffield United?

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