David Cuffley Sammy Clingan will be a major player in a Norwich City side challenging for promotion - according to Northern Ireland's record goalscorer. Fulham striker David Healy, who had two loan spells at Carrow Road five years ago, reckons his 24-year-old international team-mate and the Canaries are made for each other.

David Cuffley

Sammy Clingan will be a major player in a Norwich City side challenging for promotion - according to Northern Ireland's record goalscorer.

Fulham striker David Healy, who had two loan spells at Carrow Road five years ago, reckons his 24-year-old international team-mate and the Canaries are made for each other.

Healy, awarded an MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list and scorer of a record 34 goals for his country, believes Clingan's move will prove a big success.

He said: “Sammy Clingan has gone to Norwich City and I can tell him from my time on loan there that he has joined a fine club, who look after their players and they will certainly challenge for promotion to the Premier League.

“To me Sammy is a Neil Lennon type player - he has a great engine and rarely gives the ball away.

“He has been a big hit since coming into the Northern Ireland set-up and I think we look a better team when he is in the side. I reckon he will do extremely well at Carrow Road.”

Healy's comments, in the Belfast Telegraph, mirrored those of City boss Glenn Roeder when he expanded on his reasons for his first summer signing.

“What is crucial this year is that we have a squad of players that, from day one of joining us, want to play for Norwich City, want to put the shirt on, not just want to play for Norwich City but want to be in a winning Norwich City team,” said Roeder.

“That is the feeling that I got from Sammy Clingan.

“I know that he's saying within a few minutes of speaking to me he wanted to sign for Norwich and he wanted to play for me, but I didn't tell him at the time within a few minutes of speaking to him I had the same feeling.

“The guy looked me in the eye and I could see that he wants to put our shirt on and make sure it's a winning shirt, so I'm delighted with that first signing.

“I've only seen him play but I often felt if you watch any player carefully enough, and that's not just what he does on the ball or without the ball, but if you watch his mannerisms during a game, how he reacts when a referee gives a decision that's blatantly wrong, how he reacts when a goal is scored against his team or when his team scores, if you watch you can't hide what you are as a person with your human emotions. I think you can get very close to knowing somebody without actually meeting them by watching them play a game of football.

“So I've watched Sammy Clingan play and then when I met him, that's the person I saw playing football and I think in most cases I find that to be true.

“If I see someone I think is mentally weak, who gives in, when I've met them, I feel by how they answer the questions you put to them that they are exactly that - weak people - and like tough people, they stick out like a sore thumb on the football pitch.”