Sheffield United midfielder told 'he has to get better'

Ismaila Coulibaly eventually completed his loan move to Swedish club AIK in February as he aims to get his career back on track.

The 23-year-old has had his progress halted because of niggling injuries at Sheffield United, which moved him to the fringes of the Blades squad. Last season the Malian midfielder registered seven appearances in all competitions, and before his loan switch to Sweden’s AIK, he tallied just a single appearance this season – in the EFL Cup defeat against Lincoln City.

Joining AIK on loan for the season appeared to be the right move in order to gain momentum back into his career, but that could also have the opposite impact.

Coulibaly has featured three times in the Swedish cup for AIK, most recently starting back-to-back games. And his new fans are already unimpressed by what they’ve seen from the midfielder, leading them to criticise Henning Berg for his team selection against Djurgården, per Fotbollskanalen.

AIK’s head coach, Berg, commented on Coulibaly’s recent performances as well as the criticism from the supporters.

“Coulibaly was good against Mjällby, or at least okay. He wasn’t so good now against Djurgården, or he wasn’t good at all. So, he has to get better.”

“I can understand that when a player is not at his best, this question comes up. When we beat Mjällby away, there were not so many people talking,” he told Fotbollskanalen.