How Thorup has unlocked Nunez's Norwich City potential

After a frustrating few months with injury pauses and fitness management, a fine Christmas period has returned Nunez to form. 

That Championship festive uplift sparked speculation in Chile that Premier League side Everton had submitted a bid to sign him, but those rumours are wide of the mark despite Nunez having several admirers across the continent. 

His performances have improved since Thorup's arrival at Carrow Road, and the Dane explained how he has moulded the 24-year-old into his system. 

"When I watched him in some of the games last season, I think he was still too inconsistent in his passing game. There were still some fantastic passes, but the next one would be a mistake and were ones that should never be a mistake," the City boss said. 

"He's about to get rid of that. He can still be a little bit inconsistent in his positioning, and that's what we're working on the most. When he plays either on the left or right in central midfield, we've played him as a six and in the ten position as well.

"It's the positioning that we talk about most with him. We show him clips on how to behave when you cover a certain position.

"Everything you do, your team mates need to see what you're doing and adjust their positions according to you. You cannot just run around the pitch and do whatever you want. You need to find that structure in the game. He's developed to that very well."

Nunez's versatility across those central midfield positions has given City's coaching team a welcome headache about where he is suited best. 

"Actually, one of his better performances after his injury was against Millwall at home when he played as a six," Thorup said. 

Marcelino Nunez has enjoyed a fine run of Championship form. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) "It's not an easy role for us to cover because you have to be an option every time the centre backs get the ball and to progress the game, but you have a big responsibility defensively. It was the first time he did that for us, and he did well. 

"He can cover more positions and he's really aware of the information that we give him. As everyone can see, when he's playing a more offensive position - he's a big threat from distance for us. 

"Sometimes it's about taking the right decision to find the best possible position because it isn't always obvious for us."