Gabriel Sara will leave Norwich City a big hole to fill, but Angus Gunn backs him to reach the top as he nears a big-money move to Turkish champions Galatasaray.
The Brazilian midfielder was left out of Saturday's pre-season finale against Bundesliga side St Pauli as he puts the finishing touches on a move that will be worth over £20m to the Canaries.
Sara travelled to Turkey on Saturday evening after the clubs agreed on a fee and payment structure, with official confirmation expected in the coming days.
Gunn has been Sara's teammate for the last two seasons at Carrow Road and paid tribute to the departing 25-year-old, who made his presence felt on and off the pitch during his short but extremely sweet time in Norfolk.
"It's been an absolute pleasure," Gunn said of Sara. "Obviously, I don't know the details yet. All of the players were the same. We saw it online this morning, and obviously, everyone is gutted.
"Gabby is a massive part of the team, not just on the pitch but off it as well. He's a great lad. He's only been here for a few years, but the impact that he's had at the club is a testament to what kind of player he is.
"I'm sure he will go onto the top. It looks like he's going to a big club in Europe, and I don't think he will be finished there."
In Sara's absence, Norwich were beaten 3-1 by St Pauli at Carrow Road in a performance littered with errors to bring the curtain down on their Championship preparations ahead of next weekend's opener at Oxford United.
Gunn featured in the Canaries pre-season defeat to St Pauli on Saturday. (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest)
City were hoping for a positive end to their warm-up for the league campaign, but Gunn was left ruing mistakes post-match.
"We're obviously disappointed with the result, but there were signs again where we were very progressive and positive," Gunn said.
"For the first 15 to 20 minutes, we were very much on top and probably should have taken a few chances. We didn't, and the goal set us back a little bit.
"There were a few silly errors that led to more goals which we need to cut out before the season starts."
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