Norwich City should start engines for January departure | OneFootball

Norwich City might want to consider a January loan move for Brad Hills to give him plenty of game time before the summer.

Brad Hills has struggled for gametime since his return to Norwich City so a loan move in January would make sense for all parties.

The 20-year-old impressed during his loan spell at Accrington Stanley last season, and he's committed his future at Norwich, having signed a deal to keep him at Carrow Road until 2027.

But with just 90 minutes under his belt this season, a League One loan move in January might be the perfect opportunity to develop even further.

Sporting Director Ben Knapper would likely be keen to get a deal through fairly soon, as there are plenty of other Championship clubs that would be looking to temporarily offload some of their talents come January.

Any potential loan deal has to ensure that Hills is a regular fixture at the back for whatever team he goes, to avoid the type of situation present with other Norwich City loanee Ken Aboh, who's only featured twice for Stevenage since joining in the summer.

Brad Hills loan would make sense for all parties

Every fan dreams of having one of their own pull on the shirt and as a Norwich-born Canaries fan, Hills looks likely to be one that could step up.

With young players like the defender, it's important to set out a clear development pathway, especially given the model of a "youth pipeline" that Mark Attanasio looks set to carry forward under his takeover.

Johannes Hoff Thorup clearly rates the defender highly after a solid pre-season campaign, but the Dane also wants consistency in his back line with Jose Cordoba and Shane Duffy becoming a regular partnership this season.

A slight back issue has also kept Hills at arms-length from the match-day squad recently, leaving some City fans wondering what the future may hold him.

With ambitions of the Premier League on the agenda, and with Duffy and Grant Hanley on the more senior side, Thorup will no doubt want Hills to be up to speed when the time comes. Ensuring a good quality loan for Hills must therefore be high on the agenda and there's no time like to present to start getting the ball rolling on what would be a good move for everyone.

He would also seem to fit the playing style demanded by the Norwich City manager. For Accrington, he created 11 chances and even scored three goals and is the ball-playing centre-back that is pivotal to high-possession, build-out from the back type of team.

It may well be the case that Knapper and Thorup wanted Brad Hills around the first team during the first half of the season to ensure there are no teething issues when he eventually does make the step up.

But it now feels like getting more minutes in the tank and continuing his development while on loan would be more beneficial and give him a greater chance at a starting position next season.

With teams reportedly interested in bringing the youngster in on loan in the summer, you'd imagine he would not be short of suitors.

Brad Hills would be ideal for League One

Hills has already made a name for himself in the football league, having won Accrington's fan's player of the season whilst on loan.

A loan move at this stage cannot be considered a step-down. League One has a wealth of talent, but it would be the next logical step for him to develop even further. League One would be an ideal destination to test himself given that he's proved his worth in League Two and will provide the opportunity for Hills to take on greater responsibility in a team more closely suited to Championship football.

It's not to say he would be expected to make an instant impact given his lack of game time this season, but regular first-team minutes are vital in a young player's career and would bring a maturity and a street-wise edge to his game.

Hills' name won't be the only one that League One clubs are looking at either. If Norwich want to ensure game time for their centre-back, now is the ideal time to start making some calls in order to get the best out of him for the remainder of the season.

It's understandable that some may feel apprehensive about sending such a prized possession away from Norfolk, especially given Abu Kamara's transfer request upon returning to Norwich from Portsmouth, but Brad Hills knows that every game he plays elsewhere he's still "climbing the ladder" to get into the Norwich City squad.