After an indifferent start to the season under new Danish boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, the Canaries recorded their first league win of his tenure prior to the September international break against Coventry City at the CBS Arena.
Norwich will be looking to build on their success in the West Midlands as they visit Luke Williams’ side on Saturday afternoon, with the chance to build some momentum under their new boss and record successive away victories for the first time since January 2023, which also included a victory away to the aforementioned Sky Blues, who were defeated on August 30th through Borja Sainz’s 49th minute strike.
The international window can be a particularly anxious time for managers across the EFL, as whilst there is a great understanding of the pride felt when representing a nation in any fixture, there is an element of risk that follows amid potential injury setbacks, which go on to have a domino effect on their club’s fortunes.
However, updates ahead of the clash with the South Wales side have been kind to Norwich supporters on that particular front.
Josh Sargent was one of 12 players from the Norfolk outfit away on international duty at the beginning of the month, as the USMNT featured against Canada and New Zealand.
After being on the bench against Canada in Kansas City, the 24-year-old was omitted from the squad against the Kiwi’s in Cincinnati after suffering “ankle irritation”, which raised concern among the Norwich camp surrounding his availability for Saturday’s away trip.
However, in his pre-match press conference (via The PinkUn), Hoff Thorup stated that Sargent should be involved in the game in some capacity.
“He felt something in his ankle after one of the early training sessions. Again, it was a decision based on how many minutes he could actually play in that second friendly and the decision was it was okay to go back home, take care of that ankle, and not take any risks,” the Norwich boss said of the man who netted 16 goals last term.
