‘He’s ready to play in the Premier League’
Fit and finally thriving, the path to a professional contract, the pinnacle of any academy player’s career, was now clear and in sight.
Eventually, Rowe convinced Weaver he was worthy of a spot in Norwich U18s, and he would go on to score twice for them in the 2020/21 season. That in turn earned playing time in the U23s, where he further impressed.
Finally, he was offered the professional deal which had seemed so far off during those months on the physio table, that year of sitting on trains from London. He could barely sign quick enough.
In the press release accompanying the announcement, he said: “The club have always had my back from when I first started here. I can’t fault them on that, I’ve got to appreciate all the things they’ve done for me so far.”
Rowe showcased his dribbling and finishing skills with a stunning strike in Norwich’s 2-1 win at Hull
It didn’t quite do justice to the challenges he had faced to reach this stage. But more were to follow before he would finally enjoy the breakthrough season and the accolades which have followed.
Around the time of turning professional, in one of his regular questioning sessions with Weaver he asked something which would prove particularly pertinent.
“I always remember him turning to me during a training session and asking how to get to the next level,” said Weaver. “I said his numbers weren’t great, he wasn’t getting enough goals or assists. Later we sat down and went through all the data.
“You never had to sugarcoat things with him. You could be honest. He just took it away, thought about it, and six weeks later he made his professional debut.”
That came in a 23-minute cameo in a forgettable defeat to Crystal Palace in December 2021 but he impressed enough to make a further 14 appearances by the end of the season, when Norwich were relegated.
Still he didn’t change. Soon after his debut, he arrived back at the Norwich academy out of the blue with a selection of trainers for the various members of staff who had helped him become a first-team player.
But now he had the taste for it.
He was all set to play a bigger role on Norwich’s return to the Championship until a succession of different injuries cruelly limited his hopes to just three substitute appearances across the entire 2022/23 season.
A full 18 months on from his debut, a first start still eluded him.
“It’s very difficult when you’ve had that taste, played at Old Trafford and Anfield, and then you don’t really kick a ball for a year,” said Weaver.
Any sense of deja vu was short lived. This was just another challenge.
It did, though, make it all the harder to process when his break finally came at the start of 2023/24. He was not only named in the line-up for Norwich’s first game of the season with Hull, but also scored the equaliser in their dramatic last-minute win.
“Everyone knows what happened last season with back-to-back injuries and adversity, but I’ve come back out of it stronger,” Rowe told BBC Radio Norfolk.
Scoring in each of his next three games probably didn’t help it sink in much either.
And certainly no one expected him to reach double figures by Christmas, including two goals in the East Anglian derby against bitter rivals Ipswich.
By the end of the season, he had more than doubled his xG to finish with 12 goals – all the more impressive after yet another injury set-back which saw him miss most of the second half of the campaign.
“His mindset is still the same,” said Graham. “He still supports his mum, he helps out his friends – it hasn’t changed him.
“A lot of the young players don’t work so hard when they get everything so quickly. He’s not like that.”
Even with Rowe’s latest spell on the sidelines, the cat is now out of the bag, his ability firmly showcased to the wider world. A Championship Young Player of the Year nomination was just reward – and he finished only behind Tottenham-bound Archie Gray.
Perhaps the one person most unmoved about the speed Rowe’s potential has been realised is the man who had helped refine it.
“It’s not very surprising he’s had the impact he has had,” Weaver said. “He’s left-footed, right-footed, very, very quick and he does the hardest thing in the game as well as anyone – score goals.
“He’s ready to play in the Premier League.”
A move to Spurs, following in Gray’s footsteps, was mooted earlier this summer and met by a typically honest response – “I’m an Arsenal fan, so it didn’t really appeal to me” – but the top flight rumours are unlikely to stop any time soon with less than a year now left on Rowe’s Norwich deal.
Having had to be so patient throughout his burgeoning career, the only question still hanging over the 21-year-old is the problem of his injury record.
But should he shake that off, it might not take much more waiting for the Premier League return ticket to arrive.
