Norwich City column: Borja Sainz the ‘man of the moment’ after hat-trick at Derby
It would be fair to say that Borja Sainz is the man of the moment at Norwich City.
The Spaniard bagged a spectacular hat-trick in the 3-2 win against Derby at the weekend to continue his prolific start to the campaign.
From the get-go, it always felt like this season was going to be important in the career of the 23-year-old, who arrived at Carrow Road from Giresunspor in Turkey during the summer of 2023.
After a slow start to his first season in English football, Sainz really burst into life as the campaign wore on.
But in truth, his exploits were largely overshadowed by the creative brilliance of Gabriel Sara and the goalscoring prowess of Jonathan Rowe.
With Rowe and Sara departing in the summer transfer window, it left a void for someone new to take centre stage at the start of the Johannes Hoff Thorup era.And boy has Sainz risen to the challenge.
The goals at Pride Park take the Spaniard’s tally to six in eight games – as many as he managed throughout the entirety of last year.
They also showcased everything that is so good about his game: tenacity, flair and an ability to score screamers.
The challenge for Sainz is to show his start to the season is more than just a purple patch.
Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect him to continue at his current rate – but players in his position will always be judged on goals and assists.
And given the lack of depth in attacking areas, it is imperative that Sainz stays fit and firing on all cylinders if we are to be successful.
As for what success looks like, is it too early to suggest that we could possibly be contenders for a play-off spot again?
There is of course a long way to go, but the 1-1 draw with Leeds on Tuesday night showed we have the fight and courage to mix it with the so-called big boys.
The Canaries host ninth-placed Hull City tomorrow (12.30pm).