Frank Lampard singles out £8m Norwich star but backs Coventry ace to match him

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Saturday’s enticing clash between Frank Lampard’s Coventry City and Liam Manning’s Norwich could genuinely be described as the Championship’s most in-form forwards going head to head.

And presuming both can maintain their flying start, the Golden Boot battle may be almost as intriguing as the battle for promotion.

While Frank Lampard lost out to Middlesbrough’s Rob Edwards for the Championship’s Manager of the Month award, Josh Sargent claimed the Player of the Month gong having found the net five times in Norwich City’s first four matches.

Now, Haji Wright could consider himself extremely unfortunate not to join Sargent on the list of nominees – he was overlooked in favour of Coventry City teammate Victor Torp – and the equally in-form American will be looking to get one over his fellow USA international in the East Midlands.

Frank Lampard backs Haji Wright to challenge Josh Sargent as Coventry host Norwich City

Frank Lampard is more than aware of the threat Sargent poses.

But, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, the former Chelsea and Everton coach sees no reason why a talismanic centre-forward of his own cannot go eyeball-to-eyeball with Norwich’s number nine and come out victorious.

While Sargent tops the Championship goal charts with five, Wright is one of three players to have hit the net four times already alongside Derby County’s Carlton Morris and the aforementioned Torp.

“Josh Sargent, seeing him from the outside, I know that he’s a talented player and a big threat for them,” Lampard says, highlighting the clinical Canary’s movement as well as his expert finishing.

“There’s no doubt that he’s a very active centre-forward who wants to run behind, can play between lines and scores goals.

“But we’ve got Haji. I think with the work that we’ve been able to do with Haji on the training pitch through pre-season, and really releasing him from the issues that he had that were bugging him through the end of the season, there’s a really good energy about Haji at the moment.

“He’s a very, very, very good player. So we’re happy to have him and I hope and will push that he remains as consistent in how he started the season because he’s shown already what I believed in him anyway.

“It’s more now about how we can work and be specific about the role that I and we want him to play, and trying to work with him on the training pitch.”

Lampard thinks Liam Manning will succeed at Carrow Road

EFL Analysis can confirm, via chief football correspondent Graeme Bailey, that Norwich wanted £18 million for Josh Sargent over the summer.

The Canaries rejected a lowball offer from Burnley, and the chances are that the one-time Werder Bremen forward will command an even larger fee a year from now.

Lampard is backing his opposite number to get Norwich moving in the right direction given time, meanwhile, after two wins and two defeats from four matches.

“It’s a very tough match. A good team. One of those teams that probably last year felt they didn’t quite get to where they wanted to get. So they’ve changed manager,” the Coventry boss adds.

“I know Liam [Manning] pretty well and he’s a very, very smart coach and a good bloke. He’s come in and they’ve invested, and I’m guessing tried to improve the squad. They’ll be a very difficult opponent.

“As Liam settles in, he’ll find his way of how he wants them to play. But they’ve got good talent in the team. So we absolutely have to be our best. It’s a different opponent to what we’ve faced in terms of style, which will challenge us. So we need to be up for that.”