Norwich City‘s woes have continued into the weekend after head coach Liam Manning confirmed that attacker Ante Crnac will miss the remainder of the season.
It’s been an utterly dire campaign for the Canaries thus far. An underwhelming season last term saw them part company with Johannes Hoff Thorup in April before eventually turning to Manning in the summer.
The 40-year-old arrived with a big reputation have guiding Bristol City into the play-offs, where they exited at the semi-final stage to Sheffield United. Norwich harbour ambitions of a return to the Premier League and it was believed that they had landed the right man to achieve just that.
The reality couldn’t be further from that ambition though. The East Anglians have won just 2 games all season, both of which came in August. They are also currently on a 7-match winless streak and have lost their last 4.
Full-time in Derby. pic.twitter.com/qcvfnsNLL0
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) October 21, 2025
Things Go From Bad To Worse For Norwich
The pressure on Manning is growing with each passing minute, especially as fans have witnessed 5 defeats from 5 at Carrow Road. Prior to this month, their away form had been keeping their heads above water, but even that has gone south in recent weeks.
Their latest trip saw them head to the East Midlands to take on fellow strugglers Derby County. However, they left Pride Park with a 1-0 defeat which saw them plunge into the relegation zone.
Just to make matters worse, attacker Ante Crnac limped off in the dying minutes of the game having been introduced as a substitute in the 61st minute. It has now been confirmed by the head coach that the Croatian has ruptured his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.
‘Devastated’ Crnac To Undergo Surgery
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s trip to Swansea City, Manning confirmed the news:
“It’s not good news, he’s ruptured his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. He’ll need surgery. It’s hugely disappointing for him and for us.
“You could see walking off the pitch, he was devastated. He’s had some people around him picking him up the last few days. I keep coming back to the word disappointed.
“It’s early to say [whether it’ll drag into next season]. You have to wait for the swelling to come down and he has to do bits before the surgery and before they can operate. Then of course you have to see how they respond on the way back.
“It’s so long that you can’t commit to time frames really, but it looks like the season will be done.”
We’re all with you, Ante 💪💛 pic.twitter.com/HUhQ1yuzNR
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) October 23, 2025
Writer’s View
It almost feels as if it can’t get any worse for Norwich. Many were puzzled by Johannes Hoff Thorup’s departure last season as it was previously believed he would be given time due to the transistion process that was required. However, the appointment of Manning did cause excitement, mainly due to the work he had done at Oxford United and Bristol City.
It’s fair to say that he has got things wrong so far and losing Crnac for the rest of the season will not help his cause. This should open up an opportunity for Jovon Makama, who has made just 2 starts since joining from Lincoln City in the summer.
