Hard worker Josh Sargent and his journey from Missouri to Carrow Road

The striker has now taken the next step of his career by signing for Norwich City in the Premier League after travelling to England on Monday to undertake a medical and complete his media duties ahead of being unveiled as the latest member of the Canaries' squad.

Originally from Missouri, a midwestern state in the United States, Sargent's love for football was visible from an early age. His father, mother and two sisters all played the sport.

"Josh was three years old and wanted to play," said his father Jeff in a video on US Soccer. "There were no leagues so at that point he had only played in the garden or living room with me. At that point I thought, he might be pretty good here.

"So we put him on the team and said he was four. In his first game, he scored nine goals."

That was an early indication of his ability to score goals. Sargent went onto join St Louis Scott Gallagher Development Academy, the place he credits with nurturing him into a player admired by several agents and clubs.

The summer of 2017 proved to be one of the most important in Sargent's footballing journey. Whilst others his age were considering their next steps and choosing their colleges, Sargent was to represent USA in two World Cups.

In India, Sargent was made captain for the U17 competition and scored three goals at the tournament. That prompted a shock call for the U20s a few weeks later. He texted his father to tell him not to watch their opening match of the campaign, which was at 3am US time.

Luckily, his parents did wake up and were shocked to see Sargent lining up for the national anthems. The striker went onto score four goals, equalling the best tally at an U20 World Cup by a US player and securing the Silver Boot.

Sargent senior's phone went hot red with inquiries about his son after his impressive displays. Sporting Kansas City acquired his homegrown rights in the MLS but the youngster was permitted to explore possibilities abroad.

Trials with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and Bundesliga side Schalke ensued before he secured a move to Werder Bremen.

Tim Steidten, Werder's scouting director, said of Sargent: "The first thing I recognised was not something like skills or tactical things, it was his mentality on the pitch. How he was talking to team-mates, running for every ball; from the beginning, he was a team player."

Sargent describes the opening two months in Germany as the 'toughest period of his life'.

As he grappled with learning the language and settling into 'internat' at Bremen's training ground, Sargent made his debut for Werder Bremen II. His struggles acclimatising to life in Germany didn't affect his performances on the pitch, where he netted six goals in his opening 10 appearances.

That form earned him a place in Bremen's first team under the tutelage of Florian Kohfeldt, who handed the American his debut in December 2018. Sargent's first touch in the Bundesliga resulted in a goal as he headed in the third to seal a 3-1 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Some impressive performances followed and by the 2019/20 season, the striker was a pivotal part of Bremen's side that escaped relegation, winning their play-off against FC Heidenheim.

In a Bremen side that struggled to create goal scoring chances, Sargent completed the campaign on four goals and registered the same amount of assists. Despite that, his contribution to the team was being recognised by some of the senior figures inside the Weser Stadium.

"Josh is extremely important for our team," said Clemens Fritz, a former Bremen and Germany midfielder who heads up the club's professional football department, on the Bundesliga's official website.

"The amount of work he puts in, the stability he gives us in terms of defence - I've been really impressed by the way he's executing all that. We need that intensity. Josh is such an unbelievable team player.”

Upon speculation linking Sargent with a move to Norfolk, supporters delved deep into his goal scoring record and analysed his statistics.

For various reasons, the American's goal return doesn't instantly blow anyone away, but his contribution extends beyond statistics. Similar to a striker like Roberto Firmino, Sargent's tactical contributions and defensive work have proved pivotal to Bremen.

That isn't to say Sargent can't add a consistent goal return to his game. A pressing striker, the 21-year-old has plenty of untapped potential that Daniel Farke will be relishing getting stuck into when the ink dries on his move to England.

Josh Sargent is in talks to join Norwich City from Werder Bremen. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Kohfeldt, who departed Bremen after their relegation from the top tier of German football in May, believes Sargent still has plenty of room to grow in his career, stating that he is on his way to becoming a 'complete striker'.

"I see him on the way to being a complete striker," Kohfeldt told bundesliga.com following their 1-1 draw with Schalke in January. "He can be one of the league's top strikers.

"I don't know if it'll take one year or half a year or two weeks, I'm not sure and I can't say," he said of Sargent's prospects. "But if he stays like this - he is very, very calm in the locker room and he is focused, and on the pitch he's full of energy - he will one day be one of the league's top strikers, I'm completely sure."

Bremen's formation has seen Sargent deployed on the right-wing before as Kohfeldt sought to name two strikers in his starting line-up.

That has been his primary position in the opening two games of the season for Bremen. Sargent will arrive in Norfolk fit and in form after netting two goals already this season in the Bundesliga Two against Fortuna Dusseldorf, the same side he netted his Bundesliga debut goal.

As he flies into England, Sargent will surely be relishing the chance to prove himself in the Premier League with Norwich City.