Norwich City have confirmed that striker Hwang Ui-jo has returned to parent club Nottingham Forest after picking up a hamstring injury.
The South Korean international joined the Canaries from the Premier League club on deadline day in the summer, initially joining on a season-long loan.
Speaking to the Pink Un after the 1-1 draw to Bristol Rovers, David Wagner revealed that the club was considering his future following the latest setback. He said: “Unfortunately he pulled his hamstring. He’ll be out for six weeks. We have to give ourselves maybe the next few days to assess how we deal with that situation.”
Norwich made the decision on Tuesday, with the former Bordeaux forward returning to Forest alongside former Sheffield Wednesday loanee Alex Mighten.
Acting as cover for Josh Sargent whilst he recovered from an ankle ligament injury that kept him out for four months, Hwang played 18 games for the Norfolk club, scoring three goals and assisting once.
With the American, Ashley Barnes, and Adam Idah all fit and ready, the 31-year-old’s minutes were likely to be extremely limited going into 2024. He only made nine starts during his spell at Carrow Road.
This is the third loan for Hwang during his time at Forest, also playing for Olympiacos and FC Seoul since arriving at the City Ground in August 2022. Hwang has yet to make an appearance for his parent club.
The East Midlands club similarly has plenty of options up front, with the arrival of Divock Origi to act as cover for Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood this season.
Writer’s View
Hwang Ui-jo’s spell in Norfolk has come to an end with the return of fitness to the rest of Norwich City’s attacking players. You could make a case that David Wagner should have stuck with the South Korean should any of Sargent, Barnes or Idah have another spell on the physio’s bench, but the former Huddersfield Town boss thought otherwise.
The attacker’s future once more is unclear. Forest do not look like they will use him, unless new manager Nuno Espirito Santo has other plans. Another loan is probably the next step for him and lower-table Championship or League One clubs may be interested in taking on a striker who could occasionally deliver in the league from limited starts. But for the Canaries, they may dive back into the loan market to find another back-up forward option.
1st Class Honours in Multimedia Journalism at Salford University. Writing mainly about League Two.
