Neil Warnock name checked Norwich City during a question and answer session with a Middlesbrough supporters’ forum last week, when the subject of Duncan Watmore’s future came up.
Watmore joined Boro in November on a short-term deal on lesser terms as the free agent looked to prove himself and put prolonged injury issues behind him.
The deal is due to end in mid-January and questions around Watmore’s future have been raised due to his excellent form and the fact he is yet to sign a new improved deal at The Riverside. The former Sunderland winger has since scored four goals for Boro which has brought his future to the forefront of supporters’ minds.
(As reported by Teeside Live)
Asked if he could dispel rumours of a January move to the Canaries, which would presumably be a free signing, which one fan had heard, Warnock said: “Listen, if he wanted to go to Norwich then I wouldn’t stand in his way, not after the injuries he’s had. He’s a fabulous lad.
“But I will say, if he did go to Norwich, it will be the biggest mistake he ever makes.”
“That’s all I can say on that. It doesn’t worry me, players turning me down. I just think it’s their loss.
“I look at the players we were after in the summer and I don’t think any of them have knocked any doors down. Most of them are injured.
“I’m happy with everything and I think Neil [Bausor] (Boro Chief Exec) has been talking to his man for about a week but I’ve never heard anything about Norwich. You maybe know more than me, but I certainly won’t lose any sleep over it.
“I think he’d be stupid to leave this club, team and myself.
“This season for him shouldn’t be about money. It should be about him playing games after his injuries. He fits in so well with us and he’s a lovely lad.”
Watmore suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in December 2016, missing the rest of that season, and it seems that he has struggled to regain his fitness since, with numerous niggling issues hampering the number of appearances he could make in the years after. He managed just 34 appearances for the black cats in the following three years, seeing him released at the end of his contract in June 2020.
I’m not sure that there would be too much in this regarding Norwich, although Watmore had a burgeoning reputation before his injury problems. His form has obviously been very good of late, since Boro gave him a chance, and the fact they are trying to tie him down to a long-term deal suggests that medically, his issues are behind him.
A quality free signing is always worth a look but with Placheta and Hernandez likely to return in the next month or so, it might be a player that we don’t actually need but you can bet that City’s recruitment team are well aware of Duncan Watmore.
We’ll see.
OTBC