Norwich City played out a tense 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Carrow Road on Tuesday night, with the performance of on-loan defender Callum Doyle drawing notable attention. The 20-year-old joined Norwich from Premier League side Manchester City and has featured regularly in the starting XI.
Norwich manager Johannes Hoff Thorup deployed Doyle as a left-back for this match, where he faced a challenging test against Leeds winger Willy Gnonto. Former Leeds United defender Jon Newsome highlighted that Gnonto exposed Doyle's vulnerabilities in this role, indicating that the young defender struggled to contain the Leeds attacker. Newsome noted, “He ran him to death, ran in behind; he had no desire to get back in and track him.”
Following a difficult first half, Thorup opted to shift Doyle to a centre-back position in the second half, which Newsome assessed as a more suitable role for the loanee. "He seemed to play better when he was the left-sided centre-back in the second half because he does not have the legs," Newsome elaborated on BBC Radio Leeds.
With this analysis in mind, Doyle will be looking to improve as Norwich prepares for their upcoming fixture against Hull City on Saturday. The Canaries aim to bounce back from the draw and build momentum in the 2024/2025 season.