Peter Crouch has spoke in glowing terms about a short loan stint with Norwich City that he describes as ‘kickstarting his career’.
The striker, who went onto score over 40 headed goals in the Premier League - a feat matched by no other player, enjoyed a short spell with the Canaries during their Division One title winning campaign in 2003/04.
Crouch was unveiled alongside City legend Darren Huckerby and played his part in firing City back to the top-flight. He went onto play for the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur - as well as netting 22 goals in 42 games for his country.
Reflecting on his spell at Carrow Road, Crouch said: “My memories are only good. It had become obvious that I wasn’t going to play under David O’Leary at Aston Villa and the move to Carrow Road came at the right time. Nigel Worthington was manager and he helped build my confidence back up.
“In many ways, the move really kickstarted my career — it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I played my part in a team who won the Championship and I formed a great relationship with Darren Huckerby, who arrived at the same time as me on loan,” he wrote in his Daily Mail column.
“There was talk of Norwich wanting to sign me permanently but they didn’t have the money for both and chose to go with Darren. I went back to Villa and then on to Southampton but I’ll never forget the importance of my time in East Anglia.”
Crouch now works as a pundit for BT Sport and Match of the Day, and is hopeful his former club will return to the Premier League soon despite their impending relegation.
“I hoped they were here to stay when they won promotion last summer, I loved the way they played in the Championship. I thought the work sporting director Stuart Webber did was excellent in recruiting good players and the way they started the campaign filled me with confidence.
“It’s gutting to see them heading back to the Championship so soon but the club is built on strong foundations and I look forward to the day they return.”
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