David Wagner is adamant that the injuries to Josh Sargent and now Ashley Barnes will not ruin Norwich City’s promising start to the Championship season.
Wagner confirmed his attendance at Colney on Friday. Barnes suffered medial knee ligament damage in the second half of the 2-0 home loss to Leicester last week.
The seasoned striker will not need surgery, but he will be out until after the November international break.
Sargent, another frontman, is out till the new year after undergoing ankle surgery in recent weeks.
This was Wagner’s first public reaction on Friday morning at City’s training facility.
“Ashley has a medial ligament knee injury.” He does not require surgery, but we will miss him for a few weeks. I believe he will be back in contention after the November international break.
“Do I like it?” Obviously not. It’s not nice, but it’s all part of the game. Being without our two strikers, who started a lot of games at the start of the season, for the next few months, if not longer, is not ideal, but it is what it is. We have a squad that I have a lot of faith in.
“Adam (Idah) has made significant progress in recent weeks. And
“However, everything I’ve seen so far, his touches, movements, and finishing, is very intriguing.” We’ll have to work with him to help him understand how we like to play and to improve his fitness, but we have players who can help us in this area.
“Liam (Gibbs) who played there the other night, Nacho (Marcelino Nunez) who also played there.” But it’s not pleasant. Without a doubt. We’ll deal with the matter and move on.
“We wish him all the best, both of them, that they recover as soon as possible and as strong as possible.” When they return, there will be a lot of games to play. You are also aware
“Do I enjoy and enjoy the situation?” No. Is it something I’m worried about? No. Aside from the players we’ve already highlighted, Gabby (Sara) can push one ahead because Forsy (Adam Forshaw) is now available. So it’s not perfect, because perfection requires having all of the players available, but we’ll cope with it.
“We also have options for dealing with this situation.” They will do their best, and we will also push and move forward. It’s up to the lads to prove what they’re capable of whether they’re called to start or substitute, and they’ve done a fantastic job so far.”
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