Norwich City need some wise heads to help beat the drop, according to former Canaries’ striker Dean Ashton.

City went into the international break bottom of the Premier League after a 2-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Watford.

Daniel Farke's Championship title winners have lost nine of their first 12 top-flight games, and that lack of a streetwise edge needs to be addressed in the January transfer window for Ashton.

The ex-England forward arrived at Carrow Road from Crewe back in the January 2005 window and his prolific goalscoring burst almost saw Nigel Worthington's team pull off a great escape.

"It is going to be tough. Listen, the biggest problem already is the fact the goals have dried up," he said. "They are only four points away but they don't look like getting points the way they are playing and the confidence looked pretty shot to pieces against a Watford side who have been pretty awful anyway.

"I think January is going to be crucial for them. The one thing they missed out on in the summer was that little bit of experience, Premier League experience, that they just haven't got enough of in the squad and that is key for them at the moment."

Ashton, speaking to Talksport on Tuesday morning, also had his say on the fallout from Raheem Sterling's alleged bust up with fellow England team mate Joe Gomez, that has seen the Manchester City attacker left out of this week's 1,000th Three Lions men's international against Montenegro.

The duo clashed in a feisty Premier League game on Sunday, won by Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield, and the fallout has continued after the squad met up at St George's Park.

Ashton believes this is now the biggest test of Gareth Southgate's reign.

"This is where he excels. He is an intelligent man who has done the right thing, as it would be such a cop out just to send him home. That is too easy," said Ashton.

"Keep him in the squad, as he's been dealt with by missing one game, and now he's got to sit there - with Joe Gomez - and I would have thought by the end of the week they would have sorted things out.

"If he gets sent home then I think it festers until the next international break and it could go on and on."