One Norwich City player may be licking their lips after big Borja Sainz blow | OneFootball

January recruit Lewis Dobbin could settle into Norwich City life very quickly after Borja Sainz’s six-game suspension.

Norwich City will be aiming to push themselves into top six contention, but are sure to find it an uphill task due to Borja Sainz’s suspension.

The Canaries playmaker and Championship top scorer has been handed a six-game ban from the FA for a spitting incident in their defeat to Sunderland, raising the question of how the East Anglian club will cope in his absence.

Sainz won’t return to action for the club until next month, missing crucial trips to Sheffield United, Leeds United and Watford in that time. He is expected to feature for the club again in February when they host Preston North End at Carrow Road.

There is a fear that Norwich’s hard work from the first half of the season could unravel if a run of poor form ensues due to Sainz’s unavailability, but this ban presents the opportunity for other players to stake a claim for more regular first team minutes.

One of these players is January recruit Lewis Dobbin, who moved to Norfolk on loan from Aston Villa after failing to impress in the first half of the season for fellow Midlands outfit West Brom.

While his spell in the Black Country didn’t work out as intended, there is a chance opening up for the 22-year-old to silence the doubters and show that he does have the attributes to play a key role in a promotion contending side now Sainz out of action.

Lewis Dobbin must take Norwich City opportunity after West Brom blunder

Despite generating a lot of excitement at The Hawthorns after his arrival, Dobbin failed to live up to expectations in a blue and white shirt, largely featuring from the bench under then boss Carlos Corberan, making just one start from 17 matches.

The winger has failed to record an attacking contribution so far this term, but secured the first minutes under his belt for the Canaries with a 30-minute substitute appearance against Coventry City.

However, with Sainz now out of the picture for the short-term, Dobbin is sure to expect to receive some starts in yellow and green.

For the Baggies, Dobbin did show flashes of what he could produce, showing a lightening pace and willingness to directly run at defenders to cause them problems. With such a lack of football though, in that loan spell, the wideman normally struggled with carrying the ball and saw opportunities break down, which could have turned into different scenarios if he had more confidence and belief in himself.

At Carrow Road, it’s a new environment and a fresh chance, and the Aston Villa loanee will be aiming to show West Brom what they are missing, as Norwich aim to chase them down for a spot in the top six.

A greater responsibility can help Lewis Dobbin thrive

With only getting one start with West Brom, Lewis Dobbin’s confidence was likely to have been diminished due to the lack of trust and appreciation he had from the club.

To get the best out of him and to restore those confidence levels, Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup must place a big responsibility on Dobbin in this short window, and build a system that suits his all-round game to allow him to thrive.

If this can come together and Dobbin turns into one of the major threats in the second tier, then Norwich would possess another dangerous and tricky wide player in their ranks alongside Sainz, and such an imposing front line, including the imminent return of goalscoring forward Josh Sargent, has the potential to spur the Norwich side on to achieving promotion back to the Premier League come the end of the season.

Dobbin is undoubtedly a player with immense talent who can go far in the game, but consistency is what is needed for him to get his career facing in the right direction.

If Norwich can massively benefit from unlocking Dobbin’s potential, then the current body blow feeling of Sainz’s suspension could in turn be seen as a positive to Canaries supporters come the end of the campaign.