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This summer has brought about the dawn of a new era at Norwich City, but fans still have very strong feelings about former star Jonathan Rowe.
With Liam Manning at the helm, and a number of new Norwich City signings coming through the door, there are high hopes ahead of the new season for the Canaries.
Norwich fans now have the likes of Harry Darling and Mathias Kvistgaarden to cheer on in 2025/26, while players like Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent may move on this summer.
However, one player who left the club recently, Jonathan Rowe, has already been back, and his appearance has divided the fanbase.
Jonathan Rowe returns to Norwich City to offer advice
In a clip shared by the Pink’Un on Twitter/X, Rowe was seen visiting the Norwich City academy to impart wisdom on the current crop of players there.
When asked what he would say to a younger version of himself if he were just joining the academy, Rowe said: “Keep listening to the right people, have the right people around you. Believe in yourself no matter what. And just take it step by step, don’t look too far ahead, tackle the obstacle in front of you.
“So, if your objective right now is to score five goals before the end of the season, just focus on that and the rest will take care of itself.”
Rowe was also asked about his recent success with the England Under-21 squad for the Euros, a tournament in which he scored the winning goal in the final.
He added: “I wasn’t tight with a lot of people in the squad, because when you go to England everyone is from different backgrounds. There are a lot of players from the top academies, like Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City. They’ve all grown up together. It kind of becomes a new club again; you have to build connections.
“But you have to be yourself. And you have to produce on the pitch. You have to perform.”
The session ended with a sharing of love from the academy staff to Rowe, and the man himself taking home a Norwich shirt, which appeared to make him very happy indeed.
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Is it time for Norwich City fans to forgive Jonathan Rowe?
Rowe became one of the most expensive Norwich City sales of all time when he joined Marseille in an initial £14m deal.
However, the nature of his departure left a sour taste in the mouth for many Norwich fans. Rowe had achieved a big breakthrough at Carrow Road, but then pushed for a move away from the club quite vehemently.
After his latest appearance, some fans found it strange that Rowe was invited back, but admitted it may be time to let bygones be bygones.
One said: “I find it very odd that the club invited Rowe in to offer advice to the next generation of Norwich talent given his behaviour and how raw it is to many fans still. However, if the club have moved on from it then maybe that’s a message to us all to let it go now.”
Another backed that sentiment, adding: “We got good money for him and he’s a benchmark being a winner for England U21’s… good on him and the club for moving on, time for fans to do the same.”
Rather than being a bad choice to speak to the academy team, one supporter suggested they can take a valuable lesson from Rowe, adding, “If anything he may be the best person to give advice. Follow his progression to first team, learn from his mistakes when leaving.”
There’s clearly a bit of sympathy for Rowe, with one fan suggesting the player probably had a difficult decision to make in returning. They said: “If you do go people call you a hypocrite. If you don’t go people say you don’t give back and you’re selfish. On balance I’d rather be thought of as a hypocrite but also have the chance to do some good.”
Rowe’s move to Marseille has not completely worked out, with the young winger managing just three goals in his first season with the French outfit.
Based on that, and the message Rowe shared with the young players in his visit to Norwich, one supporter even thinks there may be some element of regret for the 22-year-old.
“I think there is caution in his words when he says get the right people around you. I think he regrets his actions and knows he was led astray,” they wrote.