UK Edition
Jordan Rhodes hopes to continue Norwich loan spell despite Steve Bruce's arrival at parent club Sheffield Wednesday
Striker Jordan Rhodes is in no rush to return to parent club Sheffield Wednesday after the appointment of Steve Bruce as manager raised the possibility of a recall from his season-long loan at Norwich.
Rhodes, a £10 million signing from Middlesbrough by former manager Carlos Carvalhal, joined Championship Norwich rivals in July and though he has started fewer than half their games he has still added six goals to his impressive career tally, including two crucial interventions from the bench - a 90th-minute winner against Millwall in November and Saturday’s 83rd-minute equaliser, put away with his first touch.
And despite being named only on the bench 16 times by manager Daniel Farke he is keen to remain part of the Canaries’ promotion push.
“Every footballer would like to be playing week in, week out but the team has been doing really well and whether I’m on the pitch at the start or at the end I’m just happy to do whatever I can to help Norwich City,” he said.
“From my point of view the idea was that I would be here for the season, that I should get the family down, get settled and chuck myself into life in Norfolk, and I’m loving every minute of it.
“It could be a special few months ahead. The manager has built a really good dressing room full of really good characters and we’ve to be where we are, so why not continue it?”
Rhodes’s goal, the 186th of his league career, was not enough to keep Norwich in the top two but extended their unbeaten away run to 12 matches.
It was a near-identical goal - set up by fellow substitute Kenny McLean’s cross - to the Dwight Gayle effort put fourth-placed Albion ahead in the 12th minute, a near-post finish that particularly thrilled right-back Mason Holgate, who supplied the pass on his Championship debut for the club on loan from Everton.
“The boss wants me to get forward and develop my attacking skills and it’s great to know that if I can get the delivery right then Dwight or Jay (Rodriguez) or Hal (Robson-Kanu) will get on the end of it,” he said.