New signing N’Diaye made an impressive full Sunderland debut in Saturday’s 3-2 victory at Wigan after arriving from Turkish outfit Bursaspor a fortnight ago.
But the £3.8million midfielder was clearly flagging during the second half at the DW Stadium as Sunderland clung onto their advantage after his last appearance in Turkey’s Super Lig came on December 14.
N’Diaye: “I couldn’t have wished for a better start, even though it got tough later on in the game, as it was my first match since December 14.
“I was very tired after the game.
“I’ve seen already how the league here is very physical and very quick.
“The second half was hard. We had to run and run to ensure we didn’t lose the game.
“Wigan kept hold of the ball very well and put us under pressure.
“But it was my first match in the team and we won the game so I’m very happy.
“I was happy with the cross for the second goal. It was my first assist for the team.
“If I can do that more, then I will be very happy.
“Fletcher is a very good player. He holds the ball up, is good with his head and has very good technique. And of course, he scores goals!
“We’ve got a bit of rest now and we can do some work on the training ground before the Swansea game next week.
“The rest isn’t really important for me because I had stopped playing before I came to England.
“But for the other players who’ve played a lot of matches, it will be good for them.”