"Might surprise a few people" - Norwich City "menace" tipped to compete at higher level | OneFootball

FLW's Norwich City fan pundit has identified which player in the squad should be playing at a higher level

Norwich City are coming out the other side of the October international break looking to maintain their positive good run of form.

The Canaries won three and drew one of their last four league games prior to the pause in league action over the last couple of weeks.

Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side has seen a number of players step up after an initially slow start to life working under the Dane, who was appointed as manager over the summer.

Supporters will be hoping that the squad can maintain their good form and challenge for a top six finish again this season.

Norwich earned a play-off place last year but missed out on promotion after a semi-final loss to Leeds United.

Marcelino Nunez higher level claim

When asked which player at the club should be playing at a higher level, FLW’s Norwich fan pundit Zeke Downes claimed that Marcelino Nunez has the best case.

While he believes the likes of Josh Sargent, Borja Sainz and Callum Doyle could all be picked as well, he feels Nunez has the most capability to take a step up a level at the moment of the squad’s permanent members.

“The one player that I think should be playing at a higher level is actually [Marcelino] Nunez,” Downes told Football League World.

“That might surprise a few people, but I think that the better the team is around him the more he shines.

“He just never gets tired, he’s non-stop running throughout the whole game.

“He is just a menace, always nipping at the opposition’s heels, he just makes things tick and he actually is quite underrated.

“You could obviously say Sainz or Sargent, maybe even Cordoba and then the obvious answer is Doyle, who is 100 per cent not playing at the level that he should be.’

“But in terms of non-loan players, I will go for Nunez.”

Marcelino Nunez’s importance to Norwich

Nunez is in his third season at Carrow Road, and is growing in importance under Thorup’s management.

The Chile international made 73 league appearances across his first two campaigns with Norwich, starting 48 times (all stats from Fbref).

But he has started all nine league fixtures under Thorup, contributing two goals.

The 24-year-old is a crucial part of the Danish coach’s plans, and maintaining his current good form could be key to their promotion hopes this year.

Marcelino Nunez has stepped up under Thorup

Nunez was a valuable member of the squad under David Wagner, but he has become a fixture of the side since Thorup’s arrival.

If he can maintain his current form over the course of the full season, then it could even attract potential suitors from higher divisions, provided Norwich don’t gain promotion.

Thorup has earned a lot of praise in recent weeks for the impact he’s had at the club, and the emergence of Nunez as a key figure is an important aspect of that.