Norwich City handed fresh Kenny McLean blow for West Brom clash | OneFootball

The Canaries' squad is going to be weakened for longer than they thought.

Kenny McLean has received a further one-game ban after he admitted to acting "in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official" against Middlesbrough meaning he will miss the West Bromwich Albion clash after the international break.

No team in the Championship can currently argue that they are down to their bare bones more than Norwich can. Johannes Hoff Thorup has had to turn to the youth of his squad to help put out a team, but even they have struggled to stay fit during this tumultuous period.

On top of the number of injuries that they are having to deal with, City's case hasn't been helped by McLean, who was sent off for a bad challenge on Hayden Hackney late in their 3-3 draw with Boro on 27th October.

This got him a three-game suspension, two of which he has already served. The Canaries thought that he would be back for their match against West Bromw on 23rd November, but he is now going to be unable to play in that game as well after admitting to an FA charge.

Kenny McLean admits to FA charge

In the aftermath of the Boro game, the FA alleged that the Scottish midfielder "acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official around the 87th minute after being sent off."

A similar case earlier in the season, in the Premier League, involving Southampton's Jack Stephens saw him receive a 5-game total suspension (three games for the red card offence and two games for his actions after being sent off).

On Stephens' actions, the FA said, as per Pink Un"that the sporting sanction imposed should be not less than 2 matches to properly reflect the presence of two separate breaches of FA Rule E3.1 in respect of two separate individuals."

In contrast to that decision, McLean has been given a one-game suspension and a £15,000 fine after admitting to the charges put to him by the FA.

A statement from the Canaries read: "Kenny McLean admitted this charge, and an independent regulatory commission imposed a one-match suspension and £15,000 fine following a hearing."

McLean will now miss the West Brom game, as well as the upcoming fixture against Bristol City, which he was going to miss anyway due to the original ban.

Norwich will also be without Josh Sargent and Gabriel Forsyth for even longer than the Scotsman is unavailable. Hoff Thorup confirmed last week that the American forward had injured his groin and would require surgery that would keep him out for eight weeks. He has now had the surgery.

Forsyth is also hurt after picking up some soreness in his knee against Cardiff. His injury doesn't require injury, but the Danish boss confirmed that he will be unable to play for five or six weeks.

Injuries and suspensions have come at a horrible time for Norwich

The middle of the Championship table is so congested right now that some of the teams near the bottom three could be in and around the play-offs spots in a couple of weeks, and vice versa; that second scenario could bite the Canaries.

Norwich are coming up to their busiest period of the season in a severely compromised state and, even though they aren't that far behind those in the top six, they are only three points above Plymouth Argyle in 22nd.

If City continue to struggle to pick up points, then they could quickly find themselves slipping down towards the wrong end of a table, and a sizable gap may form between them and where they want to be by the time the majority of their key players are fit and healthy.