Derry City fans have yet to see the best of Sadou Diallo says Ruaidhri Higgins

The 24 year-old former Forest Green man has nailed down a place in Derry's midfield since his arrival during the summer of 2022 and insisted he was never going to leave Foyleside once the club offered him a new two year deal which keeps him at the club until the end of the 2025 season.

Higgins described the ex-Man City youth as having a 'fantastic understanding of the game' and he believes he will continue to improve in the coming months.

"He came in 18 months or so and settled really quickly into the group," said Higgins. "He's just been a pleasure to coach and manage. He's a good teammate, very popular in the dressing room and I think he's a really, really good player who's improving all the time and we're obviously delighted he's continuing his stay here.

"He's only 24 and in terms of senior football, bar us, he's played some games in League One with Forest Green but not loads. So he's still in the early stages of his football development even though he's 24 and it will be interesting to see the levels he can reach over the next couple of years. I'm delighted that he sees us as the club where he can continue to develop and improve.

“During our discussions it was clear the he is really excited to get going again for next year”

Diallo made clear his ambition to win the league title with Derry and given his impressive performances in European competition last season, Higgins felt he has elevated his game to new levels in recent months.

"You could see in Europe last year, it really got his juices flowing and he elevated his game to another level I felt during the summer. Don't get me wrong, we still think there's areas he can improve and he knows that but he's very, very receptive to information.

"He takes information on board really, really well and has a fantastic understanding of the game which you can see and that's through his younger years at Man City. He's got a really high understanding of the game. I think he can kick on and get even better."

There was interest from clubs in both Scotland and England for his services but Higgins reckons it was the bond he has with the players and staff at the club which convinced him to return to Brandywell.

"There's been interest from England and Scotland to be honest. I don't know too much about it. He's a private person and doesn't give too much away but he's fantastic to deal with and a really good human being.

" I think he's a really strong relationship with the players in the squad and that would've been a massive part of him wanting to stay here as well."