After a convincing season with Everton in the Premier League, Iliman Ndiaye agreed to look back on one of the most delicate episodes of his career: his adventure at Olympique de Marseille during the 2023-2024 season.

In an interview with France Football, the Senegalese international striker admitted that his time at the Marseille club had not lived up to expectations, despite his deep attachment to OM. Arriving with high ambitions, the player never managed to establish himself permanently in the Marseille squad.

Looking back, Iliman Ndiaye believes his lack of experience at the highest level hampered his adaptation. He explains that at that stage of his career, he was still learning and didn't possess all the necessary skills to thrive in a club as demanding as Marseille.

The Senegalese international, however, refutes the idea that pressure was the main cause of his difficulties. According to him, the real problem lay more in his level of footballing maturity. After only one full season in English professional football, he felt he still had several aspects of his game to develop before reaching that next level.

Now 26 years old, the Everton player, who is about to play in the World Cup with Senegal, is convinced that circumstances could have been different if he had joined Marseille a few years later. Drawing on his experience in the Premier League, he believes he would have been better prepared to meet the club's demands and fully realize his potential.

Ndiaye does harbor one slight regret: not having had a second season with Marseille. He remains convinced that another year would have allowed him to demonstrate the progress he had made and change the perception of his time at OM.

This experience, although difficult, now seems to have contributed to the progress of the Lion of Teranga, who has revived his career in England and continues to establish himself as one of the important attacking elements of the Senegalese national team.