Norwich City: Jaden Warner wants to make step up at Carrow Road
The 20-year-old has impressed head coach David Wagner and is training regularly with the senior group at the Canaries’ Colney training base.
He’s yet to make a competitive first-team appearance in his career, however, despite becoming a common feature on City’s Championship bench.
But Warner feels that he’s moving closer to making his debut, with that first-team experience allowing him to learn lessons from Wagner and his fellow centre-backs.
He’s captained the Norfolk club’s under-21s often, and feels he’s enhancing his leadership skills at academy level before making the leap into the first XI.
“I feel like training with the first team you learn so much,” he said, speaking exclusively to the Pink Un. “I’ve been learning from Shane Duffy and Ben Gibson, so to take that back to my age group is good, it’s great.
“At the moment I train with them quite a lot. It’s good, very hard. The intensity’s a lot higher, but that’s good. You learn so much.”
Wagner’s faith in Warner is clear, having allowed fellow academy graduate Jonathan Tomkinson to depart the club on loan.
His temporary move to Bradford City leaves Warner one of four centre-back options until club captain Grant Hanley returns from a long-term achilles injury late this year at the earliest.
That admiration goes both ways, with Warner praising the head coach after City’s 3-2 Premier League 2 win over Chelsea.
The young talent is also drawing inspiration from former team-mate Andrew Omobamidele, who came through the academy ranks before sealing an eight-figure move to top-flight Nottingham Forest.
“[Wagner] is a great manager,” Warner continued. “I think he is very harsh, and very strict on detail, but he is a great guy and a great manager.
“Yeah, 100% [I see a space for me if I can impress with the under-21s and in training]. I look at the example of Andrew (Omobamidele). I played with him a couple of years now, and he’s a great example to be honest.”
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