Norwich City fans could be forgiven for believing the answer had arrived when the Canaries faced Wigan Athletic in August.

Fresh from a dull and drab loss to Cardiff City in the season opener, Dean Smith's side required fresh impetus, and in Marcelino Nunez they found it.

The Chilean zipped the ball around the sunkissed grass without a care in the world, his footballing style translating as well to Championship football as the 21-degree heat did to him.

There was an exciting sense of naivety to his play - no fear that he could misplace a pass or apprehension when he took players on.

In the absence of any other real creative force, Nunez looked like a man who could grab City's season by the scruff of the neck and drag it to automatic promotion.

Ons canny lift through for Milot Rashica looked like a sign of the inventor Norwich needed most in the callas Championship battlefield.

His fading second half was explainable given he'd signed just four days prior, but the sad truth was that it became symbolic of his entire season. Little did those Norwich fans know they'd seen one of the best halves Nunez would produce throughout the season.

The Pink Un: Nunez impressed on his debut against Wigan.Nunez impressed on his debut against Wigan. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

His spark was lit once more the following week, albeit his account-opening free-kick being nothing but a consolation against Hull City, and the glimmers continued semi-regularly.

There were positive signs in a six-game winning streak, including an impressive assist for Teemu Pukki in a 3-0 win over Coventry. The gaps between his genius moments were growing, however, as were questions over whether Nunez could really be the driving force.

There remained enough faith for him to play 18 consecutive games, even despite the hectic Championship schedule and seven of those being midweek clashes. But by his first squad absence - a 2-1 win at Rotherham - the 23-year-old looked weary.

The energy, zing and optimism that had once woven throughout his game were replaced by tiredness and fatigue, a microcosm of the team around him.

Where once his nonchalant attitude to ball possession was charming, with each frustrating stray pass it simply became irritating.

As City's season spun down an avenue and away from the promotion they'd targeted, Nunez moved closer to the margins at Carrow Road - barring a screamer against Birmingham in February that captured attention worldwide.

To suggest that it's all been bad would be inaccurate. There have been clear signs of a very talented player and one who could transcend a decreasingly impressive second tier landscape.

Sporting director Stuart Webber believes that a rest could do the trick for the £3.3million man - he has, after all, been playing nearly non-stop for 18 months. With the weariness present in some of those late performances, it's hard to disagree.

Buendia's hike from effective attacking presence in 2018-19 to league-dominating creativity showed the effect time in the English game can have, and the 23-year-old's direct jump from Chilean football is an even greater one than his Argentinian predecessor made.

And with weeks now to ferment and no football to play, that trademark hunger and excitement cannit be far away.

It’ll be needed as City look to reinvigorate a dressing room that took a number of serious blows to morale last term.

That side of Nunez - the shoot-out panenkas and “lovely jubbly” interviews - provided some light relief for supporters during what was a grim time to be a Canary.

But personality doesn’t make up for poor results, and rectifying a catastrophic failure of a campaign will be on the minds of every City player.

Showing the talent is one thing, but the best players produce on a week-in, week-out basis, and Nunez is yet to do so in yellow and green.