Norwich City: Surprise Philippe Clement selection decision is 'crazy' as 23-y/o tipped for summer exit | OneFootball

Tony Springett has made a long-awaited return to the Canaries' first-team fold

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Norwich City currently remain inside the Championship's relegation zone, despite being almost three weeks into Philippe Clement's tenure at Carrow Road.

The Canaries moved to appoint the former Club Brugge, AS Monaco and Glasgow Rangers boss last month following the dismissal of Liam Manning after his disastrous five-month period in charge of his hometown club was ground to a halt.

Clement has already made a handful of desired or forced tactical decisions which have impacted team selection thus far, and that continued on Tuesday night as the Norfolk outfit earned a point against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, with Djibril Soumare's own-goal cancelling out Danny Ings' opener 15 minutes beforehand.

With the January transfer window opening on New Year's Day, Clement will hope to make more changes in order to mould the Norwich squad into one he can very much call his own, as well as adding further depth as a result of what appears to be an ever-growing list of key performers who have suffered injury issues.

Such circumstances have forced the 51-year-old into utilising the previously outcasted Tony Springett at left-back, whilst Ben Chrisene works his way back to full fitness after a three-month hamstring layoff.

However, Football League World's Norwich City fan pundit, Zeke Downes, believes this was a temporary course of action taken by Clement, and he expects Springett to see his minutes gradually decreased once more ahead of the expiration of his contract in June 2026.

Norwich City verdict given on 'crazy' Philippe Clement, Tony Springett selection call

Indeed, the 23-year-old returned from the cold to feature against Watford at left-back instead of Kellen Fisher, who reverted to his natural position on the right side of Clement's defence, before doing so yet again at Bramall Lane.

Springett himself has struggled to become a regular for the Canaries under Dean Smith, David Wagner, Johannes Hoff Thorup and the aforementioned Manning prior to the club's latest managerial change last month, albeit the start of his own season was disrupted by a back injury.

Prior to Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Vicarage Road, the London native's last involvement in a competitive outing for City came in the East Anglian Derby against Ipswich Town on December 16th, 2023 in a 2-2 draw at Portman Road, where he played just three minutes.

The Republic of Ireland youth international is primarily a right-sided winger, which is where he has been stationed for effectively all of his 20 City appearances aside from the last two, as well as enduring underwhelming loan spells with Derby County and Northampton Town in League One.

Whilst his current contract does hold the option of an extension for a further 12 months, Downes sees no way in which Springett is able to nail down a regular spot in the Yellows' starting lineup.

"I think this whole thing is crazy," Zeke told FLW. "He was deemed not good enough under all previous managers.

"He's not had many appearances, and even in his preferred position, despite the fact we've had lots of injuries.

"I think this was just a last resort," Downes claimed.

"He didn't want to lose McLean in midfield, which has already happened now, although we don't know how long-term his injury is. Clement just wanted a left-back who is more of a natural left-sided player, as he could move Fisher to right-back, which has massively helped his game and he looks really good.

"I think Springett at left-back will be a temporary thing. Chrisene will go back in there, I think.

"Maybe not straight away as he's not 100 per cent match fit. But, I don't see Springett having a long-term future in that role or in the squad.

"I think he'll leave at the end of the season. He's just not at this level, unfortunately."

Philippe Clement may wish to address Norwich City left-back concerns in January

As Downes alluded to, the decision to deploy Springett at left-back showcases a clear lack of depth which Clement may wish to address in the coming weeks.

It remains to be seen whether the City boss will look to acquire permanent competition and cover for Chrisene, who will look to return to the starting lineup as swiftly as possible, or whether a loanee is sourced in the short-term before further decisions are made in the summer, although that particular move could be risky as Norwich's immediate future in the Championship very much hangs in the balance right now.