Norwich City Striker Josh Sargent Sidelined Until New Year Due to Groin Surgery

Norwich City’s striker, Josh Sargent, is expected to be unavailable for play until the new year following a groin injury. Since joining the club in 2021, Sargent has netted 37 goals across 112 matches. The 24-year-old United States international was absent from Saturday’s Championship match at Cardiff City, where the Canaries suffered a 2-1 defeat. Head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup confirmed that Sargent requires surgery and will face a recovery period of at least eight weeks. “It’s not the ideal scenario for anybody. We have options and possibilities for other players to come in,” Thorup stated. This season, Sargent has scored four goals in 14 appearances, establishing himself as the primary forward in the absence of the seasoned Ashley Barnes, who is also currently injured. On a more optimistic note, Thorup expressed hope that midfielder Marcelino Nunez and goalkeeper Angus Gunn would be fit to return before the month’s end, following the upcoming international break. However, the extent of the club’s injury crisis remains a significant concern. “We brought (Christian) Fassnacht and Tony Springett on to the bench the other day, but they were not available (to play) – that was just to start to integrate them into the team,” Thorup informed BBC Radio Norfolk. He added, “We had 15, 16 outfield players available for minutes (against Cardiff) but one of them was a under-21 player who just came from a Friday night game at Manchester City.” Thorup concluded, “It’s a crazy situation that we are in, but we deal with it, we support each other and we don’t blame each other.” Norwich currently occupies 10th place in the league standings, trailing the top six by three points, ahead of their away fixture against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.