Norwich City: Thorup on fit-again USMNT Josh Sargent’s brace.

Johannes Hoff Thorup was willing to face Josh Sargent’s anger to safeguard Norwich City’s fit-again star striker, who scored twice in a 5-1 Championship demolition of Swansea.

The US international made his first start since late October, following groin surgery, with a typical pair of thundering finishes to set up a comfortable Carrow Road victory. However, Thorup replaced the 24-year-old two minutes after he restored Norwich’s lead to prepare him for the upcoming clashes. “If you could see his eyes looking at me when we’re about to replace him after that second goal, he was not satisfied with that,” remarked the Danish football coach. “That’s not what he wanted.

“But we had agreed beforehand that we would only spend 65 minutes with him, no matter what, because we couldn’t take any chances. The last thing we need is another injury for him. We definitely need to be cautious, but 65 minutes and two goals is a start in the right way. “He’s a good player. It isn’t even up for discussion. So, of course, losing him and not having him accessible will make a difference for the team. Simple as that. He’s quality, and he’s also good for the players. “He has a strong presence in the locker room and always reacts positively to the way we prepare for the game. He’s able to suggest some adjustments or small details that we can correct when he’s in the game. To have him around the team means so much to the group.”Sargent has scored a stunning 25 goals in his last 37 Championship games. “What we forget to talk about when we mention Josh is often that he’s a great striker, good at holding the ball, good at dealing with a couple of centre backs, but I think one of his best skills is actually his running, and the way that he can run in behind, and the timing in those runs,” Thorup went on. “We also witnessed that in the first half, where he had a scenario where he spread out onto the left side of the pitch, on the right side of their centre back, and had a shot with his left foot a little bit similar to the goal he scored; that’s the same kind of movements, where he anticipates where the space will open up and where he needs to go. The timing of his runs is top quality. He’s a top striker in the league.”

Sargent’s timing was impeccable, as he restored Norwich’s lead inside a minute after Liam Cullen had cancelled out his first-half goal. “We’ve seen it actually many times so far this season, where we’re not carried away emotionally with conceding goals,” Thorup shared. “I think we witnessed it in Leeds, where we performed well after conceding an early goal. We arguably had our best 15 to 20 minutes of that game immediately following the score. “Even in the face of adversity and imperfection, we can respond. It reveals a lot about the people within the group. It was important for everyone, and especially the players on the pitch, that Josh scored that second goal so quickly.”