Norwich City: Liam Gibbs half-term Championship report

There is nothing tired or end of an era about the teenager’s success in bridging that gap from the academy to a key component under Dean Smith for the most part. 

His Ipswich Town back story, and his Blues-supporting father, marked him out immediately as one to watch when he swapped Suffolk for an environment where good young talent has been hothoused previously under Stuart Webber. 

But this was not Daniel Farke the 19-year-old multi-purpose midfielder had to convince. This was the more pragmatic Smith, who was brought to Carrow Road originally to try and navigate a path to Premier League sustainability. 

That looks some way off, barring a cohesive return from the World Cup break and finding the accelerator on a consistent basis - and less of the brake - over the second part of this Championship season.  

But in a player like Gibbs there is genuine hope for something different and something exciting to emerge; whatever division Norwich City find themselves in next year. 

Ironically it appears to be Isaac Hayden’s long-awaited return to frontline action that has curtailed Gibbs’ short term chances of a building on his impressive transition during pre-season, and then into City's early league tussles. 

The youngster’s rise was initially halted by a freakish ankle injury at Sunderland in late-August as he sought to block a cross. That issue kept him sidelined for over a month. 

But Hayden’s introduction, for Gibbs, at the break in a 2-1 defeat to Watford in mid-October felt like a changing of the guard. Albeit it was Gibbs’ sharp pass into Kieran Dowell that brought Josh Sargent’s goal just before the interval at Vicarage Road. 

Smith did not name Gibbs by name but his post-match verdict after that defeat made it clear a double half-time midfield change was designed to regain some control, and present a more robust barrier in a vital area of the pitch. 

Smith added in the build up to the following game, a home defeat to Luton, he should not have fast-tracked Gibbs back so soon from his own injury lay-off. But that only served to illustrate the strides he had made.

However since Hayden’s first league start against Sheffield United Gibbs has become more of an intermittent presence in the first XI. 

That is not all on Hayden of course.

With patchy results, and even more turbulence in performance, Smith sought to shuffle from an enviable level of midfield resource with Marcelino Nunez also making way, and Gabby Sara edging himself into more meaningful service.

But Hayden has become the ever-present focal point in that deeper-lying area Gibbs patrolled during the opening months. 

That underlines in the here and now the far more experienced, far more streetwise Hayden is viewed as the better option by Smith. But what it also demonstrates is Gibbs possesses more strings to his bow - both in his range of progressive passing and the natural instincts to get himself into advanced areas.

It tells you everything about both his intelligence and maturity the 19-year-old did not look out of place in a holding berth. But with Hayden’s fitness issues hopefully behind him the challenge now for both player and head coach is to facilitate a role that allows him to have a second wind this season. 

His relative recent lack of activity on the pitch, prior to the World Cup pause, may actually afford Gibbs a chance to take stock and reflect on something of a whirlwind rise. That said, the bullish way he accepted Smith’s initial invitation to jump out of a pack of young talent that numbered the likes of Jon Rowe, Tony Springett and Jonathan Tomkinson would suggest he must crave a return to the starting line up.  

At that tender age each game spent on the bench must feel like an opportunity lost. But Gibbs is the future for Norwich.

The conjecture about what that future looks like, in the here and now and the months ahead, can roll on to the return to Championship action at Swansea City on December 10.

But in the mid to longer term it is players of his youth and quality who have to become staples of a refresh and a renewal to a squad struggling clearly under this head coach to stamp their authority on the Championship.