Norwich City are set to be without top scorer Mo Touré for ‘months’ after sustaining a shoulder injury.
Cyle Larin and Will Lankshear are the only Championship players to have outscored Touré this term, but surgery on his shoulder is set to keep him out for the foreseeable future.
The Australian international, who represented his nation at the World Cup during the summer, has bagged five times in seven outings this term.
Signed from Danish side Randers on a long-term deal in February, the 22-year-old made quite the impression in his first few appearances. After scoring on debut against Blackburn Rovers, he bagged all three against Oxford United three days later. A muscle injury briefly halted his hot streak in front of goal, but it continued as the season drew to a close.
Five goals in four games, including another hat-trick against Bristol City, meant Touré had 12 goal contributions in just 11 games. It has been a similar story thus far this campaign, with the young forward netting six times across all competitions, including a brace in the big win against Burnley. However, Norwich will now have to make do without their leading marksman for a while.
Head coach Philippe Clement, speaking last night, had the following update on his key forward:
“Mo Touré will be out for months, and he will need surgery. That is a bad one. You cannot prevent those.
“It is part of football, and of course I live with those players, and they have been working hard to focus on having a big season and being on the pitch, but we need to focus on the others now, and it will give chances to others. We have to use this break to reset and a strong start to the second lap of eight games.”
Canaries captain Kenny McClean and Ben Chrisene are also set for periods on the sidelines with ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively. Jose Cordoba withdrew from international duties with Panama after also sustaining an ankle injury. Norwich sit 17th in the Championship after eight games and will return from the three-week international break with a visit to league leaders Swansea City next month.
Could This Benefit A Former Lincoln City Man?
While the picture may be bleak for the Canaries following this news, it could provide an opportunity for former Lincoln City man Jovon Makama. The ex-Imp, who departed Lincolnshire for a then club-record fee on the eve of the 25/26 season, missed the beginning of the current campaign following an injury picked up in pre-season.
After he was absent from the first five Championship matches, Makama has made three substitute appearances. Earlier in September, he helped inspire Norwich to claw back a two-goal deficit at Middlesbrough before eventually losing 4-3. Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, Clement’s side lost by the same scoreline, with the former Derby County youth product entering the action for Touré after 15 minutes.
Makama enjoyed an excellent debut campaign in Norfolk, hitting double figures in the second tier. After initially biding his time at the start of his Canaries career, it was around this time last year that he began forcing himself into contention with back-to-back goals against Wrexham and Stoke City.
The 22-year-old increased his return in December, bagging four times before hitting a hat-trick against Walsall in the FA Cup. His season came to a premature end in February after breaking his foot. On that occasion, Touré came into the side and excelled. This time, the burden rests on the shoulders of Makama to carry the flame in attack.
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