Team news | Sargent to be assessed before Preston

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement revealed that Josh Sargent will be assessed ahead of Saturday's fixture away to Preston North End in the Sky Bet Championship.

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement revealed that Josh Sargent will be assessed ahead of Saturday's fixture away to Preston North End in the Sky Bet Championship.

Speaking to the local media, the Belgian confirmed team news ahead of the lunchtime kick-off at Deepdale.

"Josh Sargent has been back on the grass, but we need to assess how we deal with him. We will follow the rules, very strictly," he said.

"I want as much competition as possible for the team. I see it as an opportunity for people to step up, the more competition means the better the squad will be.

"Mathias Kvistgaarden is being managed and assessed over the next few weeks. the consultancy was interesting and Mathias had a good feeling around it. We need to manage better what his load is, he will be available for selection tomorrow.

"Jack Stacey is available, Lucien Mahovo trained all week and Liam Gibbs trained all week. They're all available for selection. Jeffrey Schlupp will be longer term and Papa Amadou Diallo is back on the grass with the physio and can be in with the group in two weeks."

The head coach also spoke about full weeks of training, as well as the squad's recent community visits during the week:

"The boys worked really hard, we had more time to do more tactical things. We also did community visits, it's important for us to do that. We need to let them step out of the bubble of football.

"They need experience outside of football. They need to see what happens in society and in the community. They went to the hospitals and they were really good. The way they conducted themselves, it was very proud for me as a manager. A lot of positives there.

"We spoke about leadership, we have a lot of young players in the squad. You learn in these moments who can be leaders in the future. I get more information about the group, it was very positive information."

Clement also highlighted the busy festive period, starting with tomorrow's trip to take on Preston.

"It starts game by game and not making a plan for five games. It's very individual too, with physical thoughts and battles. You need competition so you can rotate and change certain players. We're not there yet in certain positions, there is work to be done in training and January.

"Preston will be a tough challenge. They have one of the least goals against, very aggressive in their pressing. We need to be prepared well for their kind of football.

"They have a lot of running players and score a lot of goals. They deserve to be there and it will be a big challenge for us. We have a chance to compete with those kinds of teams, in-form teams. A difficult away game that could give another boost to the squad. They have an experienced group, with a lot of time played in the Championship."