Nathan Redmond still has ‘crucial’ role to play for Norwich City this season

Nathan Redmond has been assured he still has a 'crucial' role to play for Norwich City this season by manager Alex Neil.

The highly-rated winger was an unused substitute in Saturday's 1-1 home draw with Derby and only featured as a late substitute in City's previous match, a 4-1 win at Millwall.

Redmond has played an integral role for the Canaries this season and Neil insists the 21-year-old will again as his side push for promotion in the final nine matches of the Championship season – starting at lowly Huddersfield Town tonight.

'Nathan when I first came in did exceptionally well and like any young player, is going to go through wee spells where maybe the games don't suit you and you have an off day here and there,' Neil said.

'But Nathan Redmond is going to be a crucial player for us between now and the end of the season and Nathan will be a player that I will use when I need him to come in and make an impact and have games that are more suited for him, so he's a crucial member of the squad.'

The England Under-21 international will need to remain patient and Neil points out that Redmond is not the only player in that situation.

'They're all in the same boat, it's not just because it's Nathan, it doesn't make any difference,' added Neil. 'Gary Hooper for instance is a fantastic talent, I know how good he is but Gary at times will get used in certain matches and not in others, and that will happen for a lot of them, I did it with Alex Tettey as well.

'They're all crucial players for them team because what it does is give me a different option or a different style of play if I need it and it's about me coming up with a style that I think is going to be most effective.'

Follow David Freezer on Twitter @davefreezer.