“I need more” – Johannes Hoff Thorup issues demand to £8.5m Norwich City star.
Johannes Hoff Thorup has backed Norwich City summer signing Ante Crnac to provide more end product in the future.
The forward made the switch to Carrow Road in the last transfer window, arriving in a deal worth an initial £8.5 million, according to the East Anglian Daily Press.
The Croatian has scored just once from 14 appearances in the Championship so far, with a lack of goals and assists causing concern among supporters.
Given the fee paid to sign the 20-year-old, the team will be hoping that he can improve his form in front of goal soon, particularly with Josh Sargent currently out injured.
The US international is reportedly set for an eight-week absence, meaning the burden will be on Crnac to lead the line while his teammate recovers to full fitness.
Thorup issues Crnac warning
Johannes Hoff Thorup Norwich City
Speaking ahead of the team’s clash with Plymouth Argyle this midweek, Thorup has claimed that he wants to see more from Crnac.
While the Norwich boss was pleased with his performance against West Brom, he has warned that more end product is needed from him.
“I need more from him,” said Thorup, via the club’s official Twitter account.
“He had a big chance where he should score in the first half [against West Brom].
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“He gets in really good positions, we just need the end product, we expect this will come and West Brom was a step in the right direction.”
Crnac made his debut for Norwich in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United in August, the third league game of the campaign.
He bagged his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Stoke City in October but has now gone six without finding the back of the net.
The Norfolk outfit will be hoping he can find his shooting boots soon, as they will need another source of goals besides Borja Sainz if they’re to push for a top-six finish.
Norwich City’s recent form
Norwich City’s last five league results.
Opponent (Home or Away)
Result
West Brom (A)
2-2
Bristol City (H)
2-0 loss.
Sheffield Wednesday (A)
2-0 loss
Cardiff City (A)
2-1 loss
Middlesbrough (H)
3-3.
Norwich have failed to win in each of their last seven games, drawing four and losing three, which has seen the team drop to 13th in the table.
The gap to the play-off places is now seven points after their draw with West Brom last weekend.
Mason Holgate initially gave the hosts the lead before the Canaries turned it around for a 2-1 advantage through Emiliano Marcondes and a Torbjorn Heggem own goal, with Josh Maja rounding out the scoring for a 2-2 finish.
Next up for Norwich is a home clash against Plymouth on Tuesday night in a 7.45pm kick-off.
Josh Sargent
Norwich need more from Crnac
Crnac was a promising signing for Norwich in the summer and to an extent, he needs to be given time to adjust to English football.
But the injury to Sargent has led to him taking on an important role in the side, and he’s not living up to the same standard just yet.
The Croatian is now under pressure to improve and perform in the coming weeks, otherwise, it could really hurt Norwich’s chances of a top-six finish.
Tuesday’s clash against Plymouth is a good opportunity for him to find the back of the net again given the Pilgrims’ poor defensive record, so this will be a good test of his level of improvement in recent weeks.
