Norwich City: Injury update on Chile ace Marcelino Nunez

The 23-year-old picked up the issue to his left ankle on World Cup qualifying duty for Chile and was pictured on crutches. David Wagner confirmed after Saturday’s 1-0 league win over Stoke City Nunez must now wear a protective boot, following further scans on his return to the Canaries.

Nunez will not require surgery but only has a slim chance of featuring this side of October’s next international break in the domestic calendar.

“The injury is not as serious that he needs surgery but more serious than we first thought, so he is now in a boot for the next 10 to 14 days,” said the City head coach. “And obviously then when we assess how well the swelling is going down we can predict something.

"There is a slight chance that he can make it before the international break. But if not, at the latest, after the next international break he will be back and can play for us.”

Left-back Dimi Giannoulis was withdrawn in the second half against the Potters but is expected to be in contention for Leicester City’s midweek visit. Przemyslaw Placheta deputised for his first competitive outing in an unaccustomed defensive berth.

“For me, it was anything but a surprise. He has everything to be a very good full back in our idea of the game,” said Wagner. “He obviously still has to learn, but he only can learn when he plays. And this is what he did.

"It was another step in his full back development, if it makes sense. He has all the skills and the mindset, which is quite important, to be an attractive option and strong in this position.

“Dimi felt his quad a little bit but I spoke with him a little bit after the game and he doesn’t think that is too serious.”

Giannoulis’ injury scare aside, Wagner’s only irritation was the way City failed to manage a fraught final few minutes at Carrow Road, as they looked to protect a slender lead, courtesy of Jack Stacey’s first half opener.

“This was the only thing I was not pleased with,” said the German. “Our game management maybe in the last five minutes, or stoppage time, we had chances to run down the clock when we went for the next goal.

“We played a very good first half. Everything was there, apart from the final cutting edge. We occupied the right spaces, we invested a lot of energy, our counter press was world class. And then we pushed in the final seconds of the half to score a very deserved goal.

“Second half, it was a top shift in terms of the workload. I'm very proud what they've shown there. Obviously, we didn't play as fluidly as we did in the first half. We didn't use the couple of good chances we had to kill the game. If you don’t do this, then you have to make sure you fight to the final second.

"This is what the players did and why I'm absolutely delighted. First half, how we played, and how we defended in the second half to get this result over the line. Against an opponent, who I said before, is a very, very good side with very good individuals, and who have invested a lot of money in this window.”