Nathan Redmond’s injury leaves Alex Neil with a right-sided dilemma

Wednesday morning saw Norwich City fans greeted with the concerning news that Nathan Redmond is set to be sidelined for up to 6 weeks, following an injury that he picked up during last Saturday’s draw with Manchester City. While the young winger continues to be extremely hit and miss, he is one of the few players that we have that can genuinely strike fear into opposition full-backs and, with just 5 goals, he is also our top goal-scorer. This represents a huge loss and leaves Alex Neil with a big decision as to how we can plug the gap - a decision made harder by the fact that Robbie Brady still appears to be carrying an injury.

When Redmond has been absent previously, Neil has tended to push Jonny Howson out-wide. Every single time he has done this Howson has been wasted and, more often than not, ineffectual. The ex-Leeds man boasts many talents on the football pitch but being a winger is not one of them, not least because he lacks any semblance of pace. Recent weeks have seen Howson’s form pick up markably and it is no surprise that this has coincided with a consistent run of games in the middle of the park. Whatever Neil opts to do in Redmond’s absence, playing Howson out there is simply a no-go.

So, who does this leave? One of the most obvious options would be to play Vadis Odidja-Ofoe. However, after a brief, and quite successful, spell in the first-team over the Christmas period, the Belgian looks to have returned to his role of Carrow Road outcast, failing to even make the bench in recent weeks. Vadis has attributes that would be useful for a tricky trip to the Hawthorns, but a return from the cold seems unlikely.

The most popular option among Canary supporters seems to be Ivo Pinto - the right-back who has looked questionable defensively, but rather impressive offensively since his January arrival from Dinamo Zagreb. Particularly in our 1-0 defeat at Leicester, the Portugese has demonstrated obvious prowess going forward - a confident dribbler while he has already shown that he is arguably a better crosser of the ball than the erratic Redmond. Perhaps the biggest problem that the loss of Redmond brings is the lack of pace that the side will have - unlike the alternative options of Howson, or even Dorrans, Pinto has this in abundance.

Neil gave us an insight into his thinking when he opted to replace Redmond with Graham Dorrans against Man City - in other words, he doesn’t trust Pinto to perform the role. I would be amazed if Neil sticks with Dorrans, however, considering how the game transpired - it was like watching Howson on the wing, but even more painful.

In an ideal situtation, Robbie Brady will be fit enough to start, in which case he will slot into left-midfield, allowing Matt Jarvis to switch to the right and fill the vacancy left by Redmond. Neil, however, has been very tight-lipped about Brady’s fitness while he has shown in the past that he certainly isn’t one to risk playing people who aren’t ready. This being considered, I don’t think he will start - this leaves one of Pinto, Vadis, Howson or Dorrans to fill the void. Ivo gets my vote.

And if not, anyone but Howson!