Returning Norwich City players must make West Brom statement | OneFootball

Johannes Hoff Thorup may have some players returning from injury, but will have to make it count against West Brom.

Johannes Hoff Thorup may have a few more options to pick from after the international break but will need to make sure it counts against play-off contenders West Bromwich Albion.

Norwich City were in somewhat of a crisis prior to the international break, with key players like Angus Gunn, Marcelino Nunez, and Josh Sargent all falling to injury in quick succession.

Kenny McClean's red card suspension compounded the misery and the captain will not return until after the West Brom game after being handed an extra game suspension for his reaction to the sending-off.

It's easy to chalk down the poor results over the past five games to having so many missing players, but the Canaries are in short supply of confidence coming off the back of their first loss at home in a year and Thorup will no doubt see the game against West Brom as one in which they'll have to prove their worth.

Thorup has said there's a "probability" that some of those key injured players will not return for the West Brom game but if Norwich want to consider themselves in contention for the play-offs they'll need an emphatic response to their recent poor form.

Missing players led to drop in results

Between the October and November international breaks, Norwich City lost four players at the spine of the team due to injury or suspension.

Kellen Fisher spoke candidly after the loss to Bristol, not wanting to excuse the result as down to the injuries the Canaries have been dealt with.

He said: "The players on the pitch, including me, have to be better".

Though some degree of slack can be cut considering some of the key players lost are the leaders that those young players need to feel stable and supported on the pitch.

Anis Ben Slimane was perhaps rushed back slightly too early for this reason, but Thorup said: “We had to do it because there's not too many other options".

Returning players will be a big boost already

Before even kicking a ball, Norwich will already feel more confident should Marcelino Nunez and Angus Gunn both return to the squad, though Thorup admits there are still "question marks" around both players.

The Chilean midfielder Nunez has played a crucial role in Thorup's Norwich side, and plugging the gap left by his absence has been a challenge for the manager.

He's the Canaries' creative outlet that is often called upon to set attacks in motion; in total, he's created 24 chances this season. Oscar Schwartau has been called to play a much deeper role than he's used to, with support from Jacob Lungi Sørensen to fill the space left by Nunez's injury, but both have only been able to create a combined five chances all season.

Unfortunately for George Long, he's taken the brunt of the criticism for poor results since Gunn's injury, he's even admitted to being at fault for at least one goal this season. A Gunn return would no doubt alleviate some of the nerves felt by City fans if he's to be back for the West Brom game.

Perhaps somewhat overlooked will be the return of Onel Hernandez. The Cuban scored for his national side on his return to football since picking up an injury against Watford in September.

Before that, he played in the centre-forward role in the Carabao Cup fixture against Stevenage, scoring twice. While he's no Sargent, he may be able to pick up some of the pieces left by the American's longer-term injury.

Ashley Barnes also feels he'll be able to "put on a shirt for the first time this season" after the international break, meaning the Canaries will finally have a bona fide experienced striker in the squad.

But a Hernandez and Barnes return will be as much a boost in the changing room as on the pitch. The Canaries have been seriously lacking their seniority and leadership in recent games and given that the West Brom game may still be plagued by some of the injuries prior the international break, it may well be the boost needed to grind out a result.

Ultimately, after reaching the play-offs under David Wagner last season, Norwich will see no reason as to why they cannot do the same this season. Some degree of patience may be accepted by Norwich City fans, but they will want to see more from those players added in the summer, especially given the upcoming hectic December schedule where they will need to step up.

The West Brom game would be the perfect opportunity to prove the cynics wrong. An added boost from some returning players, even if not many, should give the boost needed to bounce back, and the Canaries are in need of a statement result after the last month or so.