Norwich City column: Marcelino Núñez impresses in Hull City hammering

I don’t think it is a revolutionary take to suggest that Norwich City have yet to truly see the best of Marcelino Núñez in his time at Carrow Road.

Núñez arrived in the summer of 2022 and has already made nearly 100 appearances for the club.

Now I’m not saying he has failed to impress, in fact he has regularly demonstrated what a good player he is, but that successive managers have failed to unlock his full potential.

That is until now.

Under Johannes Hoff Thorup, Núñez has started the season is sensational form and in honesty, it is not rocket science to understand why.

The 24-year-old is an exquisite technical player and with respect to his former managers, Dean Smith and David Wagner, neither were exactly famed for their attractive brand of football. Such was their downfalls.

But Hoff Thorup’s possession based style is giving Núñez the platform to flourish – and in return he is dictating games from midfield.

Beyond the outstanding goal he scored, I thought his performance against Hull set a new standard as the Canaries mauled the Tigers to maintain their fine form of late.

At this point, I just want to say that the progress made under Hoff Thorup, in such a short space of time, has been genuinely remarkable.

But more on that next week.

Given the momentum built over the last few weeks, some might argue that the international break has come at a bad time.

But with injuries racking up – including to Núñez – it is probably a good moment to take breath and rest up after a frantic start to the campaign.

The big hope is that the issue which is forcing Núñez to miss international duty is just a small one – and that he will be available to face Stoke when we return to action next weekend.

Because right now, for my money, there is no better midfielder in the division. That’s how good he’s been.