Norwich City officially confirm major blow that will leave Philippe Clement reeling | OneFootball

The Canaries will be devastated by Ali Ahmed’s long-term injury.

Despite Norwich City missing out on the play-offs, optimism remains that the Canaries can push for promotion next season under Philippe Clement.

The Belgian boss completely transformed the Norfolk outfit’s fortunes when taking over from Liam Manning last November, steering them well away from relegation danger while also threatening a late top six charge.

Alas, it never quite happened, with the Canaries leaving it too little too late, but such an increase in performance levels and quality on the pitch has helped the club believe again that they can go toe-to-toe with the very best sides in the division.

Of course, recruitment for Norwich will be paramount to helping Clement succeed in getting them back into promotion contention, with the 52-year-old needing to be backed with players who can handle the rough and tumble of the Championship.

But he will have to do it without one of his main stars for the majority, if not all, of the 2026-27 campaign, with winger Ali Ahmed suffering such an untimely and long-term injury that could badly hamper Norwich’s preparations.

It’s a cruel setback for the Canaries to take, who will have to try and replace an attacker who settled into Championship life so quickly.

Norwich City confirm cruel Ali Ahmed ACL injury

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While it was generally a positive pre-season for Norwich City, they are bound to feel rocked back by the news of Ali Ahmed’s injury.

The 25-year-old, who linked up at Carrow Road for a reported £1.4m fee from Vancouver Whitecaps, had become a fan favourite quite quickly due to his ability to settle into Championship life, contributing four goals and three assists from 19 league outings last term.

And not to mention he helped joint-hosts Canada reach the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup, capping off such a wonderful season for both club and country.

But after returning from Canada’s success and back into Norwich’s pre-season camp, Ahmed landed awkwardly during the second half of Norwich's 2-1 defeat by Osasuna at Carrow Road and needed medical staff to help him off the field.

After the match, head coach Philippe Clement said the injury "did not look good", and it has since been revealed that Ahmed suffered an ACL injury in his right knee, while he will undergo surgery later this month to rectify the issue.

Unfortunately for all connected with Norwich, it means the tricky winger will now miss the majority, if not all, of this coming Championship season, which is such a blow given the influence he has in the final third to not only create but score goals himself.

How Norwich City fans have reacted to Ali Ahmed’s injury news

Norwich City fan Ollie Newton was full of praise for Mohamed Toure, who has taken Ahmed's squad number of 37 for the upcoming season in support of the winger.

Meanwhile, Canaries supporters Jack Toulson and Andy Howard admitted an ACL injury looked likely for Ahmed after the way he landed in their pre-season friendly.

This fan has suggested there is a Carrow Road curse!

Finally, Norwich fan Corey also offered plaudits to Toure for a kind gesture, and is pleased to see there is much kindness and positivity among the Canaries players.

Norwich City must do all they can to replace Ali Ahmed loss

Losing such a key player in their frontline, Norwich City face a massive task on their hands to fill the gaping hole left by Ali Ahmed’s absence.

Norwich’s sporting director, Ben Knapper, was questioned on whether Norwich would dip back into the transfer market to add another left-sided attacking option during a fans forum with BBC Radio Norfolk.

"Of course, it wasn't something that we were planning to have to do. We're just not at a position yet with it being so fresh to have exact clarity on what it all means,” he said.

“Hopefully, the first part of that will come in the coming days when we get that detail on exactly what the injury is and how long it will be.

"That will then give us a chance to have more conversations around how we respond to that. Of course, the market is still open, which gives us that as a possibility, and we've still got time, so we can take one step at a time."

It has also been reported that Norwich are weighing up all avenues at this stage, both internally and externally, with the likes of Papa Amadou Diallo, Ante Crnac and Errol Mundle-Smith all working their way towards returns, while Amankwah Forson’s expected Carrow Road exit could be reassessed.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that Norwich are left so much weaker due to the injury of Ali Ahmed, and boss Philippe Clement is bound to be so frustrated that such a blow has occurred so soon before the start of the new season.

It’s a big challenge Norwich will have to overcome, with their promotion credentials badly damaged at this moment in time, given they are missing such a creative outlet.