Josip Drmic was a Norwich City gamble that backfired – but Daniel Farke has no regrets.

The Swiss international can leave Carrow Road this summer after an injury-hit spell in the Premier League following his free transfer from Germany in 2019.

City have now signed Jordan Hugill to compete with Teemu Pukki and Adam Idah, with Drmic notching three goals in 24 appearances and picking up a red card against Burnley on what is likely to be his final outing.

“Sadly it has not worked out for Josip but you don’t play 35 times for Switzerland or score 70 goals in the Bundesliga unless you have quality,” said Farke. “Sometimes in football you have to accept it doesn’t work out.

“He scored a hat-trick against Luton last summer and was out then for eight weeks.

“Then he came back, had another injury, then he gets fit and we have the lockdown, and the other side of that was a difficult period for the team, and he of course gets his red card.

“We brought in Josip to be good in the air, and you need that presence of a player who can keep the ball with their back to goal. Jordan is one who can certainly do that as well.”

All three of City’s strikers have scored during the club’s pre-season tour of Germany, which finishes on Saturday against SV Darmstadt.

Norwich will play two 90 minute games at the club’s training base.

Farke wants to foster cut-throat competition up top this coming season, but in the right setting will also look to perm his front men.

“You need sometimes two strikers on the pitch, and we showed that in our title-winning season when maybe in a game we switched to 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2,” he said. “The lads will be prepared for this.

“They are both good players and good players can play together but I also like what I have seen from Adam. He is in a good shape. I will always judge my strikers by the number of goals and assists they score together.

“You need at least 30. If it is one guy, like Teemu did at this level, then good, but if it is three lots of 10 that is fine as well.

“They have totally different strengths which is why they can fit together.

“In certain games we will need different options. With a shorter season and players coming back exhausted from international periods we need all of them.

“If you asked me as a coach who I wanted to score in pre-season then it is my strikers, and they all have.”