Our Pink Un team was given a challenge - pick your Norwich City Player of the Season. Here's what they came up with... 

 

PADDY DAVITT

If you had asked me this question a month or so ago I would have had no hesitation in pushing the compelling claims of Kenny McLean. The versatility, the drive, the willingness to front up in the toughest of moments this season all equate to that consistency I suspect Norwich fans look for when they are trying to pick out a player who has done it for the entirety of a campaign.

But after a lull either side of the festive period, Gabby Sara has roared back with some stunning goals and assists to his impressive personal tally.

To now have attained double figures for goals and assists in 38 league games underscores the Brazilian really is a stand-out creative influence in the Championship. Below those two front runners I would view players like Angus Gunn and Jon Rowe as contesting the lower steps on the podium.

Gunn is a supreme shot stopper in green and yellow, and composed with the ball at his feet. While only intermittent injuries have curtailed England Under-21 international Rowe’s upward trajectory in a breakout season.

Sorry Gabby, but I will stick with the 'Mayor' by a wafer-thin margin.

Top three: 1 Kenny McLean, 2 Gabby Sara, 3 Angus Gunn

 

CONNOR SOUTHWELL

It's nice to be able to have a very live debate about who will win Norwich City's player of the season award given the dramatic uplift in form. 

For me, your winner depends on your outlook. Do you go for consistency? Because then it's Kenny McLean. Do you go for quality? Because then it's Gabriel Sara. Do you go for importance? Would be hard to argue against Angus Gunn or Josh Sargent. Do you go for breakthrough? Step up, Jon Rowe. 

I've gone for a mix of all of those elements and ended up with McLean, who has had his best season in a yellow and green shirt. He has been a driving force in the good times and a leader in the low moments. 

McLean has provided consistency, quality, reliability and is a key cog in the Norwich side. It isn't always showy or headline-grabbing, but it's crucial - and his team-mates know the importance of it. 

Angus Gunn is my runner-up. He is the best goalkeeper in the Championship and has enabled Norwich to record the run they have.

Sara, who should be higher, is quality. Maybe the high bar that he has set for himself has prevented him from grabbing my top spots. But his excellence is not lost on anyone. Plus, we all want to keep him under the radar anyway, right?! 

Sorr,y Jonny. I couldn't squeeze you in. You'd be at three and a half. 

Top three: 1 Kenny McLean, 2 Gabriel Sara, 3 Angus Gunn

 

SAMUEL SEAMAN

Player of the season is an interesting one this season, because there are so many runners and riders for such varying reasons.

Kenny McLean appears to be on a victory parade, mainly because of the consistency he’s shown throughout his Norwich career but which has gone unnoticed until now. He’s thrived in multiple roles and remained a top professional, but he hasn’t come up with as many magic moments as others.

Jonathan Rowe is in the conversation, of course, but his injury just about rules him out of the top three for me, while Angus Gunn’s fantastic season may have been superseded by Gabriel Sara’s brilliance at either end of the campaign.

The Brazilian has produced unbelievable numbers and been a joy to watch, but there was a very poor period that lasted months and probably denies him top spot.

Josh Sargent missed four months, but the only player I’ve seen City more reliant on and worse off without was Emi Buendia, so he makes third for me.

I’ve got Sara ahead of him in second, with McLean predictably taking top spot. Plenty of honourable mentions in a year defined by individual quality, however. Gunn and Rowe are definitely in the conversation.

Top three: 1 Kenny McLean, 2 Gabriel Sara, 3 Josh Sargent

ADAM HARVEY

After collecting the award with ease last campaign, Gabriel Sara has far more competition this term. But 21 goal contributions from 38 games cannot be underestimated for a midfielder who has featured in a deep-lying playmaker role for large portions of the campaign. The Brazilian's influence in the team’s build-up play is irreplaceable and only strengthens the feeling that he is a Premier League player in waiting. 

David Wagner recently hailed Kenny McLean him as a ‘Scottish Braveheart’ following a fitness battle to feature in the 1-0 victory against Sunderland. That sentiment encapsulates everything about the ‘Mayor’ as a character on and off the pitch. A natural leader, who will give 100pc wherever he is asked to play, all the while setting an example to his younger team-mates. His consistent performances on the pitch have earned him the credit he deserves.

Angus Gunn had to bide his time to become City’s mainstay first-choice keeper, but since Wagner’s arrival last term, he’s instilled trust in the Scot and reaped the subsequent rewards. Match-winning saves, nine clean sheets and no errors leading to goals, it’s been a season to remember on a personal level. 

Top three: 1 Gabriel Sara, 2 Kenny McLean, 3 Angus Gunn