I've said before, I do think there is some sort of underlying idea amongst a significant chunk of our fanbase that we are in some sense "special" to players, in a way that other clubs aren't. You see it a lot on the social media stuff...up until fairly recently John Brayford still got praise from blades, with the old "once a Blade, lad!" being trotted out. More recently it happened with Dean Henderson, with fans imploring him to "come home" etc etc.
Some of it is natural. Fans of a club will always hold their own club in highest regard, but I get the sense that we're a bit of an outlier in this respect.
Loyalty in football is a vanishingly (if not already vanished) thing. The days of the 1-club player, especially in the top 2 divisions, are gone. The money that is thrown around has seen to that. Every player has a club that they supported as a kid. You don't get into football to that level without enjoying it as a fan as well. But they are also professional people, with a relatively short career who are, as we all are, looking to make the most for themselves out of what they do as a living.
Generally, footballers don't owe their ex clubs much. They are also coached and encouraged to engage as much as is sensible with the fans of whoever they're playing for. We've seen it with Henderson as possibly the best recent example (prior to yesterday). When they're here, they at least give the public showing of buying into the ethos of a club, and its fanbase, because it is good for their image. Nobody wants to sign a player that acts like a stroppy brat and doesn't do the bare minimum to make the fans of whoever they're playing for at any given moment like them. And when it comes to promotion celebrations and parades etc, who wouldn't enjoy a day of adulation while getting merrily pissed with their workmates and friends?
The reality is that 99% of them will go where the big(gest) money is. It's human nature. There are outliers (Billy for example could maybe have got more money elsewhere when he came back to us the last time, but he's one of the 1% in that regard), but the majority will always see it as their job first, and any interest or support for a club 2nd.
I don't blame Ndiaye for doing what he's done. My personal opinion is he will probably always have a look on a saturday evening, in his luxury flat in Marseille, and hope to see that we are doing well. I think he's enjoyed his time here, and probably personally appreciates the fact that United gave him his ticket to the big time. But beyond that, he has no personal connection to the team, or the city. Villifying him and wishing injury on him just makes us look petty, and small-time. Sure, the whole thing could maybe have been handled better, but I don't think the blame for that is on him.
This is a stream of consciousness cos I've just come off nights and I'm fucking shattered, but the main point I'm trying to make is we need to let go of this idea that everyone who ever has a bit of success with us as a player is therefore a Blade for life. Most of them aren't, and never will be. The club was an employer that they enjoyed working for, but once they move on, their focus will be on their new employer, and doing all they can to endear themselves to a new fanbase.
Good luck Iliman. I think you've made a decision that isn't the best for your career, but maybe you're one of the 1%, and just fulfilling your lifelong dream. I've loved watching you play for us, and I'll always remember moments like the goal vs spurs. Maybe you're not "once a blade, always a blade" but you were a Blade for a while, and I hope that it will prove to have been a mutually beneficial relationship. If by some miracle we stay up, then we owe you a debt of thanks for being the main factor in getting us here. And if you go on to be a global superstar and Ballon D'Or competitor, then maybe you owe us a bit for putting you out there, and getting you noticed.
