Norwich City may be holding their breath on Saturday night: View | OneFootball

The Canaries will be nervously watching one player on international duty this weekend

It has been something of a mixed start to the Championship campaign from a Norwich City point of view.

After a disappointing defeat to newly promoted Oxford United on the opening day of the season, the Canaries drew their next two league matches with Norwich City and Sheffield United.

Last weekend then saw new manager Johannes Hoff Thorup pick up his first league win in charge of the club, with a 1-0 victory over Coventry City.

As a result, Norwich will spend the international break 13th in the Championship table, with five points to their name from four league games so far.

Once again, Josh Sargent has been a standout player in the early weeks of the season.

Norwich City striker remains a big goal threat

Just as was the case last season, Sargent has been a major asset in front of goal at the start of this campaign.

The striker already has two goals to his name, finding the net in the draws with Blackburn and Sheffield United, while also grabbing an assist against the former.

It looks as though the 24-year-old is well set to be a vital player for Norwich this term, which may make the international break a nervy period for those connected with the club.

Josh Sargent could play for USA during the international break

There will, of course, be no action for Norwich this weekend, with the first international break of the season underway.

However, Sargent himself could still get game time, having been named in the USA squad for the latest round of fixtures.

The USMNT are set to play two friendlies, against Canada on Saturday night and New Zealand on Tuesday.

With Sargent in contention to feature in those games, Norwich will be desperate to see him come through those games unscathed given his recent history.

The striker's return of 16 league goals in the Championship last season was made all the more impressive by the fact that he made just 26 league appearances during the 2023/24 campaign.

That was after he missed almost four months of the campaign due to a serious ankle injury he picked up early in the season.

Given his importance to the side and his fitness record, Norwich will be desperate to see Sargent return to Carrow Road in one piece.

With Jonathan Rowe and Gabriel Sara – the only players to score more than ten goals for Norwich last season – both gone, the Championship club would seem seriously short on firepower if the American is forced to spend a significant spell on the sidelines.

Indeed, if Sargent was to pick up an injury, it would leave summer signing Ante Crnac and veteran Ashley Barnes as the two senior centre-forward options for Norwich.

Barnes has not featured since the end of last season due to injury, so there will be questions about how long it may take the 34-year-old to get back up to match fitness and sharpness again.

By contrast, at 20 years old, Crnac is still relatively untested, and having signed from Polish side Rakow Czestochowa, has no previous experience of English football.

He will need time to adapt, so an injury to Sargent while on international duty would not only cost them an excellent striker at this level but raise questions about their alternatives.