Norwich City boss drops injury update on top scorer ahead of Leeds United play-off decider

Norwich City boss David Wagner is hopeful that Josh Sargent will be available for Thursday's play-off semi-final second leg against Leeds United. Sargent was forced off the field in the 84th minute during Sunday's goalless draw at Carrow Road after complaining of pain in his ankle.

Sargent missed a huge chunk of Norwich's regular campaign after going under the knife in September to resolve an ankle concern. As such, the Canaries were taking no risks when the American made it clear that he was struggling with pain in the joint, replacing him with Sydney van Hooijdonk for the final few minutes.

The forward returned to full fitness over the winter and immediately found a purple patch of goalscoring form under Wagner, scoring 11 in the 14 games that followed his return to action. He went on to finish the campaign with 16 goals and two assists to his name and those stats underline just how important he is to the cause at Carrow Road.

Stomachs will have sunk at Carrow Road then when he limped off the field, but as the club continue to manage the injury, Wagner is confident that Sargent will be fit enough to feature next week as the Canaries look to upset the Whites and book their place at Wembley Stadium.

"Obviously he wasn't able to carry on," Wagner said after the game. "I haven't spoken with him or the medical department in any detail. I think he has some problems with his ankle again but he's a tough guy. Obviously it's a big game. I hope and I think he will be fine."

The Canaries were without Ashley Barnes on Sunday through injury, but Wagner was able to bring Christian Fassnacht off the bench after he missed the clash at Birmingham City on the final day of the regular campaign. The German manager was also able to hand Jonathan Rowe his first start since mid-January, with the England U21 international getting 60 valuable minutes on the field against the Whites.

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"Jon Rowe got 60 minutes and put a shift in as well and that was important," Wagner added. "For all the offensive players on the pitch it was not the easiest game, because both defensive lines were very focused, very concentrated and didn't give a lot of space.

"Now it's time for him and for all of us to recover and to make sure that we are as fresh as we can be on Thursday.”

Leeds are expected to be without Patrick Bamford for the deciding leg at Elland Road as he continues to struggle with a knee issue. However, Daniel Farke was able to bring Dan James off the bench for his first appearance since April 22.