"Improving" Norwich City player backed to excel in Gabriel Sara absence | OneFootball

At FLW we spoke to our resident Norwich City pundit to get his take on who can play a starring role for them in the upcoming season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Johannes Hoff Thorup will be looking to build on David Wagner's sixth-placed finish with Norwich City last season.

At times last year, the Canaries were a joy to watch, but defensive frailties came to the fore in the play-off semi-final second leg where they were defeated 4-0 by Leeds United.

Hoff Thorup will be looking to resolve these problems then, and if he can find the perfect balance of defence and attack, they could be in the promotion hunt next season.

They will have to do it without one of their star players though, as it was confirmed earlier this week that Galatasaray had bought Gabriel Sara for an initial fee of around €18 million.

This departure coincides with rising speculation that another one of their talents, Jonathan Rowe, could be on the move to Elland Road in the near future.

If the winger also departs, then it leaves Norwich in a tricky situation. Despite this, fans will be hopeful that there is enough talent within the squad, with the likes of Abu Kamara and Callum Doyle looking to have a profound impact on the side this season.

Marcelino Nunez backed for starring role at Norwich

With the campaign just a matter of days away, we have decided to ask our Canaries pundit, Zeke Downes, who he believes will be the most key player for Norwich City this season.

Downes had one name in response: "I could see Núñez (Marcelino) for some reason being a very important player in this team. With Sara gone, I can see him taking up his mantle and flourishing within that midfield.

"He is nearly there, and is almost at the level I think he can get to.

"At the end of last season he looked like he was improving, so I am really excited to see what he can do."

Nunez needs to build on his end to the 2023-24 campaign

It is hard to disagree with Downes on this one. Whilst Núñez struggled for consistency at the start of the campaign, he displayed the level to which he could play in the final ten games, starting every single fixture for Wagner's side.

Pre-season has largely followed suit, with Núñez playing the majority of the friendlies for Hoff Thorup after returning from the Copa América with Chile.

This build-up will hopefully allow him to hit the ground running on Saturday against Oxford United, as he looks to have a consistent 2024-25 season.

With Sara gone, the 24-year-old will have to step-up and, based on his underlying figures from the previous campaign, he could be the initiator of Norwich's attacks.

The defensive midfielder's per-90 passing statistics were particularly impressive, averaging 53.8 passes per game with an 86.9% completion rate. However, his most notable strength was his long-range passing, with an average of 4.62 accurate long balls per game.

These long-ball numbers might decrease next season, as the Danish head coach favours a more possession-based style of play. Nonetheless, his ability to deliver line-breaking passes will remain valuable as the Canaries aim to exploit defenses with their pacey attack.

Only time will tell what role Núñez will play this season, but under the right circumstances, he has the potential to become a true star.