LEICESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 19: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at The King Power Stadium on August 19, 2024 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Return of ‘fit and energised’ Sainz boosts Norwich.
Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup believes Borja Sainz’s six-match spitting ban could have a positive benefit for the team in the final weeks of the season.
The Spaniard was suspended after admitting spitting at Sunderland’s Chris Mepham during a defeat at the Stadium of Light in December.
But a “fit and energised” Sainz will return to action in Tuesday’s home game against Preston as he looks to put the incident behind him and rediscover the form which has brought him 16 goals this season.
“It’s going to be interesting for all of us to have Borja back. He’s handled this four, five weeks very well,” Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk.
“He had some days back home in Spain with his family then he came back to us and he’s been training well, he’s been training at a high level. Almost every day he’s been doing extras more or less every session out there to stay fit and make sure he’s more than ready to step in again.”
The Dane said the “strange situation” the 23-year-old forward has gone through could “turn out to be the best learning” for him.
“He saw that if he cannot control his emotions there ‘s a consequence, so in a funny way it can turn out that it’s good for us and will bring him fresh and energised back to the group in an important part of the season,” Thorup continued.
“I’m just looking forward to having him back and I know his team-mates are looking forward to it as well.”
BBC Radio Norfolk’s The Scrimmage panel discuss the return of Borja Sainz
Thorup urged Sainz to look to United States international Josh Sargent as an example of how to conduct himself on the pitch, as they look to resume their fruitful partnership.
“Josh is a very good team-mate for Borja because he’s so calm. It takes a lot for Josh to be frustrated in the game. It also means he has the energy to support some of the others and he’s an important player for us, and for Borja,” he added.
Norwich are eighth in the Championship ahead of the game with Preston, two points outside the play-off places.
They will, though, be without Emiliano Marcondes, with the forward out for up to two weeks because of injury.
“It’s been ongoing for him that he’s been suffering a little bit from some hip pain. He could go through it and play but we knew that when we were in a position with some more players available, we would probably take him out for one week or two,” said Thorup.
“Although it’s been obvious he’s not been 100% ready for the games and towards the end of games he’s been struggling a little bit, you can see his quality in the final third, you can see his quality for running in the box and also his vision for making the final pass, but it’s something we knew was coming.”
