Josh Sargent might have missed two months of Norwich City’s season, but it didn’t stop him from delivering one of the better campaigns of his career.
Sargent was named Norwich City’s Player of the Season last week after registering his third straight year with double-digit goals. The U.S. men’s national team forward scored 15 goals and added five assists for the Canaries, despite missing 13 matches due to a groin injury.
Despite Sargent’s best efforts, Norwich City failed to reach the promotion playoffs, limping to the finish line and finishing 13th in the EFL Championship table. However, the Missouri native was one of the key bright spots in the squad, earning Team of the Year honors alongside fellow attacker Borja Sainz.
Sargent revealed his excitement and approval for his impactful season, while also praising the club’s medical team for helping him rebound from a tough injury.
“[It feels] Very good,” Sargent said in a club interview with former Norwich forward Grant Holt. “Very happy, I’m obviously extremely honored to be able to have this award, so very happy. I dealt with the same thing last season [injuries and knocks] as well, never easy getting injured like that, but to be fair, I’ve done a good job of getting myself in a position where I do get back from injury to hit the ground running.
“So huge credit to all the physios and medical team for getting me in that position, but I think I responded really well, got back hit the ground running, scoring goals again and yeah, I’ve done a good job,” he added.
When Sargent arrived at Carrow Road, the club was in the Premier League and fought for minutes behind club legend Teemu Pukki. Sargent scored four goals and added three assists for the Canaries that season, but ultimately the club was relegated to the Championship.
He has since filled the void left by Pukki, scoring 44 goals over the past three seasons, and closing in on becoming the sixth player in club history to tally 50 goals for Norwich City. Whether or not Sargent remains at the club for a fifth season remains to be seen, but he admitted that he’s improved majorly since arriving in Norfolk.
“Yeah, I think when I first got here it was a difficult situation, you know I was playing out on the right wing and I’m never going to say no to playing that position in the Prem,” he said. “I think I was also young and not as developed as I am now, still obviously have a long way to go but for sure I think I’m a different player now compared to when I first came here.”
Sargent has three years remaining on his current contract, but has already attracted interest from several Premier League clubs including recently-promoted Leeds United.
