Norwich City boss Alex Neil has firmly stated that he will decide Kyle Lafferty’s future when the January transfer window opens.
The Northern Irishman has rarely been used by Neil since the start of the Premier League season and having made a full recovery from his pre-season knee injury, Lafferty is looking to start on a more regular basis in order to ensure selection for his national side’s team next summer.
Northern Ireland qualified for Euro 2016, with the help of Lafferty who scored seven goals in nine games for his country, a fantastic return, but one that hasn’t seen him become any more favourable to Alex Neil, and the Norwich boss said that the player understands his situation, which will be reviewed in the new year.
Kyle knows exactly the situation he is in at the minute. There are no surprises there.
I have spoken to Kyle and all the players and come January if I believe maybe he is better suited elsewhere then I will sit down with him and listen to where he feels his future lies. We will have that chat but potentially he could have broken into the team by then. It really depends what happens between now and then and a lot of that will determine what way we go.
Like anybody, players want to play and if they are not then maybe they are willing to look elsewhere, but I have to make sure I am looking after the best interests of Norwich City. If it means I need to keep him here to look after those then that will be the case.
Speaking last week, Lafferty admitted that it would be a ‘sad moment’ for him and his family if he were to leave the Canaries, but claimed he must think about his career ahead of anything else.
Norwich and the fans have been brilliant with me and I’d be sad to leave.
But I’ve got to think about myself, my family, my career. If it is time to leave I’ll take the opportunity. There’s no point in me sitting in the stands or playing for 15 minutes when there’s a massive tournament coming. I think I’ll give it until January then sit down with the manager.
