The club have confirmed that Congolese midfielder and newcomer Youssouf Mulumbu will be sidelined for the start of the season. Mulumbu suffered an injury during City’s 2-1 victory over Brentford at Carrow Road last Saturday, and subsequently was forced to limp off the field. Having undergone a full evaluation, it turns out Youssouf Mulumbu has in fact fractured a metatarsal. As a result, Mulumbu will be out for ‘several weeks’.
This comes as a blow to Norwich with Mulumbu proving to be one of the standout performers in the entire preseason campaign. During the game versus FC Augsburg, Alex Neil utilised the former West Bromwich Albion midfielder alongside Alexander Tettey, and together they made a formidable partnership. Mulumbu latched onto Wes Hoolahan’s through-ball before slotting past the Augsburg ‘keeper, as well as providing the assist for Grabban’s 89th minute winner. As a result, the majority of City fans picked him out as Man Of The Match.
Many supporters expected that same partnership of Tettey and Mulumbu to grace Carrow Road on Saturday, August 8th, when Norwich open their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace. Instead, Alex Neil will likely opt for Johnny Howson to fill the role.
