Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement has spoken out on Josh Sargent’s current predicament at Carrow Road, following the striker’s exclusion from the Canaries’ squad as they defeated League Two promotion contenders Walsall 5-1 in the FA Cup third round.

Indeed, the Belgian claimed in his post-match press conference that the USMNT international forward made himself unavailable for selection ahead of Sunday afternoon’s match against the Saddlers, with Major League Soccer club Toronto FC making an offer to lure him to BMO Field ahead of their league season opener against FC Dallas on February 22nd.

The Championship club has had an extremely frustrating season, failing to meet the targets set by owner Mark Attanasio and under-fire sporting director Ben Knapper prior to the season’s start following the initial appointment of Clement’s predecessor, Liam Manning.

It was also well-documented that the former City manager failed to win a league match at Carrow Road during his brief tenure, and while results have improved to some extent under the former Club Brugge, AS Monaco, and Rangers manager, the East Anglian side remains in grave danger of being relegated to League One for the first time in 16 years at the end of the season.

Indeed, the Canaries are presently 22nd in the second tier table ahead of next Saturday’s trip to an in-form Wrexham team, and they are only one point behind Portsmouth – though John Mousinho’s side do have a game in hand.

Despite having a wealth of Championship experience and quality, the Norfolk side has consistently struggled to move up the ladder in the early weeks and months of the season, with the aforementioned Sargent topping the list due to his past exploits at this level.

Despite a number of injury issues throughout his time with the Yellows, the 25-year-old has established himself as one of the division’s most dangerous finishers, with Premier League and European top flight interest in his services never far behind.

However, while Toronto is the latest team attempting to entice the 29-time USMNT international back across the Atlantic, Clement has stated that the club has no plans to part ways with their prized asset despite his recent activities.

Philippe Clement issues a strong Norwich City and Josh Sargent position amid Toronto FC transfer interest.

The Canaries had a very satisfying day of cup activity, which served as a welcome respite from their problems in the Championship.

Clement’s first FA Cup fixture as a head coach saw his side win 5-1, with highly-rated striker Jovon Makama scoring a hat-trick against the League Two club.

Despite the fact that Clement did not make any wholesale changes in the lead-up to the game, it was little surprise that Sargent’s complete absence from the team provoked much debate.

Indeed, just after the last whistle in East Anglia, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano announced that the Ontario-based club had submitted a $18 million (£13.3 million) bid and that talks with the Canaries had begun.

Despite such allegations, Clement indicated post-match that Sargent will not be leaving. Last summer, Norwich rejected a €19 million approach from Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg for the striker.I want to be brief about it. Clement stated that the player informed him yesterday evening that he would be unavailable to play today due to transfer concerns.We need to talk about it this week inside the club, but it’s not something you want to do, and there will be consequences.

“The club has been really clear about that, we know in which situation we are, so he and his agent know the situation, so he will not leave this transfer window,” said the Belgian-born player.

Josh Sargent’s activities amid Norwich City and Toronto FC transfer speculation leave Philippe Clement with a potential conundrum.

With the aforementioned transfer talks assumed to be serious, Clement’s thoughts on the saga might put the Belgian in a short-term bind, especially if a deal is rejected.

There is no denying that Sargent has the qualities to help City survive, having scored seven goals in 23 outings despite the club’s poor fortunes.

However, if he continues to make himself unavailable while the Belgian has no intention of letting the striker leave his squad, tensions may arise, exacerbating Norwich’s previous problems.