Philippe Clement reveals how serious Norwich City situation involving Josh Sargent is | OneFootball

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement has given an update on the fitness of striker Josh Sargent after he was forced off against Sheffield United.

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement has admitted he is unsure of the extent of striker Josh Sargent's injury after he was forced off in the 1-1 draw at Sheffield United on Tuesday night.

After scoring 15 goals in 33 games last season, Sargent began this campaign in outstanding form as he netted six times in his first five appearances in all competitions.

Sargent was the subject of significant transfer interest in the summer, with Premier League duo Leeds United and Burnley both among his admirers, while Bundesliga side Wolfsburg held discussions with Norwich over a potential £20 million deal for the 25-year-old, but he rejected a move to Germany in order to remain at Carrow Road.

That looked like a huge boost to the Canaries' promotion hopes, but Sargent then went on a 14-game goal drought between the end of August and the start of December, and his side got dragged into a relegation battle during that time after failing to win 13 of those matches.

Sargent has started to rediscover his form since Clement replaced Liam Manning last month, and his long wait for a goal came to an end as he scored the opener in the 3-2 defeat at Watford on Saturday, but he was replaced by Amankwah Forson in the 44th minute of the draw against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.

After the Blades took the lead through Danny Ings in the early stages of the second half, Norwich responded well and equalised when Djibril Soumare put the ball in his own net in the 65th minute, and after Forson missed a golden chance to win it for the visitors late on when one-on-one with Michael Cooper, Clement's men remain a number of points from safety.

Philippe Clement provides Josh Sargent injury update after Norwich City blow

As Norwich sweat on the severity of Sargent's injury, Clement admitted that the United States international, along with captain Kenny McLean, will need to be assessed ahead of the game against in-form Southampton at Carrow Road on Saturday.

"Sarge got a knock, we need to assess how it is with him. With Kenny, his hip locked in the first half, you saw it with the way he was running, it was not his normal style," Clement told the BBC.

"We took him off at half-time to prevent that he got a bigger injury and we will see over the next few days if they will be ready for Saturday.

"Of course, I hope that (they will), otherwise it's an opportunity for other players to get the opportunity and fight for the team to get the points.

"That's a positive and negative but I am now three weeks here and I think everybody played already from the squad."

The Canaries were also without Mathias Kvistgaarden against Sheffield United after he suffered a recurrence of the knee injury that kept him out for six games earlier in the season, and Clement hinted that the £6.9 million summer signing from Brondby could be set for another spell on the sidelines, which is particularly bad news with Sargent also doubtful for the weekend.

"He had rehab, he started training and playing again, he felt good, but this week he felt his knee again in the same place so we need to make an assessment with the knee specialist so we know what's the best action to take," Clement explained.

Josh Sargent injury could not be worse timing for Philippe Clement and Norwich City

Clement revealed that Sargent was substituted after picking up what he described as a knock, which suggests that the issue may not be too serious, but given the striker's previous injury record, Norwich supporters could be forgiven for fearing the worst.

Sargent has had long-term injuries in each of the last two seasons, and the Canaries will be desperate for him to avoid another significant absence, particularly with fellow forwards Kvistgaarden and Ante Crnac already unavailable.

The timing of Sargent's injury will be especially frustrating for Norwich as it looked as though he was starting to regain his confidence after getting on the scoresheet for the first time in over three months against Watford, and with his side still firmly in the relegation zone, Clement cannot afford to be without his star man for too long.