Shane Duffy is proving the great survivor of the Johannes Hoff Thorup Norwich City revolution.
The experienced Republic of Ireland international has been an ever-present in the Dane’s Championship defence, and was a key figure again in the 3-2 win at Derby.
Thorup admitted on Monday he was not sure whether Duffy would be cut out for his strategy when he first arrived in the summer.
But the 32-year-old’s composure on the ball has been a notable feature, alongside the no nonsense defending.
“I really think he has been an important player, both for our build up game and our way of defending,” said the City chief ahead of Tuesday’s Carrow Road duel with Leeds. “A little bit shaky, pre-season, where I was also in some doubt whether we should start him or not, or his position in the group.
"But he took some steps, and he has been so focused and really engaged with the way we are playing and trying to adapt and learn and really be also positive in his mindset.
“It comes down to the fact because he is performing on a high level it gives us a solid base in terms of defending set pieces – and I know we conceded one at Derby but maybe they are the strongest team in the league for that.
"We have conceded only one this season from a set piece. He gives us that stability and ability to take some further steps.”
Thorup revealed City’s coaching staff delved back into Duffy’s previous spell at Brighton to pave the way for him to take a key role in the Dane’s backline.
“We did that in pre-season. Some of the staff members took him aside and showed him some clips of his time at Brighton where he did this (work on the ball) and was a good player for them,” he said. “We went back to that. We have a little bit of a different approach, but there are enough similarities. We showed him and the whole group.
“I like to have these unit meetings with defenders or midfielders where we show them how we want to build up, where we can defend, and go even more in-depth into the details. It comes down to him and his approach to this.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here