The highest scorer for the Canaries this season, Jonny Rowe, was absent from Saturday’s 1-0 win over QPR due to a heel injury. The injury had already forced him to withdraw from England U21 duty. Rowe has been dealing with the issue for some time, playing through the pain barrier in recent games against Blackburn and Cardiff. Despite continued assessment and treatment during the break on club football, he was unable to pass a fitness test on Friday and was deemed unfit to feature in the match against QPR. The absence of Rowe was felt during the game, with Norwich’s attack lacking influence and registering only one shot on target during the match.
The complexity of Rowe’s injury means that there is little that can be done to speed up his recovery, other than to allow him rest and time for the issue to resolve itself. It is uncertain how long it will take for him to recover, with Norwich manager Wagner stating that it is difficult to predict and that injections or other measures are not viable treatment options. City are unsure if Rowe will be fit for Tuesday’s game against Watford, and his status will need to be assessed day by day to determine if he is ready to return to action. In addition to Rowe’s absence, Polish international Przemyslaw Placheta was also sidelined for the QPR game due to a fitness issue.
Norwich is hopeful that several key players, including first-choice goalkeeper Angus Gunn, captain Grant Hanley, Adam Forshaw, and Josh Sargent, will return from the treatment table in the coming weeks to ease their injury woes. These returns will be crucial for Norwich as they look to cope with the absences of players like Rowe and Placheta. The team will have to manage their squad carefully and hope for a quick recovery for their injured players to maintain their strong start to the season.
