Josh Sargent's on fire - so should in-form Norwich City star be the USMNT's starting striker?

It seems so long ago now, but Sargent started sending messages that he was perhaps set for a memorable campaign from the moment the season started. He scored in three of Norwich's first four games in the Championship, netting in a 4-4 draw with Southampton, a 3-1 win over Millwall and a 4-0 victory over Huddersfield Town that showed that the Canaries were ready to fight for promotion.

Then, disaster struck. On August 26, Sargent damaged ligaments in his ankle, forcing him to undergo surgery that would keep him out until the final match of 2023. In his first match of 2024, though, his second since returning, Sargent was right back on the scoresheet, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Southampton.

“I didn't feel my ankle at all," he told BBC Norfolk at the time. "Coming back from injury, in your head, you think 'am I going to be the same player, is everything going to work out?', so it's amazing to get on the scoresheet and hopefully I can return to good form. It's been a long time, I still need to get in shape, my conditioning needs to get better, but it's obviously a very good feeling to be back on the pitch with the boys.”

That was just the beginning, though. The American has been nothing short of unstoppable since.

Since making his return, Sargent has scored eight goals in his last 11 league games. That number includes seven in his last eight matches, with Norwich dropping just seven points during that stretch.

Since the start of February, Sargent has been held scoreless just once, having found the net against Coventry City, QPR, Watford, Cardiff City (twice) and Sunderland. Sargent's goal explosion has helped make Norwich one of the Championship's most in-form teams, with the Canaries now sitting seventh and very much in the hunt for a promotion playoff spot.

His most recent goal, the one against Sunderland, was the match-winner, the only one needed to lead Norwich to victory. It was all effort, too, as Sargent took advantage of some lackluster attempts to clear from the Sunderland defense to pounce.

Right now, it seems that everything is bouncing Sargent's way. Being a successful striker is marrying luck with confidence, and Sargent is flowing with both at the moment. Because of that, he's putting up numbers that no other striker in England can keep up with.

The goal against Sunderland was Sargent's 11th of the season in just 978 league minutes. He's averaging a goal every 89 minutes, the best minutes-per-goal ratio of any player across England's top four leagues. Yes, it's even better Erling Haaland's mark of a goal every 103 minutes in the Premier League.

Now, there's no comparing Sargent and Haaland. The latter is probably the best striker in the world and dominating at the highest level, while Sargent is still a player eager to prove he can be one of the best in the Championship. So far, though, he's doing just that. As things stand, Sargent is ninth in the league in scoring, but league leader Sammie Szmodics has played 33 games to Sargent's 15. In fact, every player above Sargent has played at least 12 more matches than the American striker.

It just goes to show how good Sargent has been, and top-flight clubs are beginning to take notice.

Sargent already got one crack at the Premier League, and it didn't go particularly well. After struggling at Werder Bremen due to the German club's total inability to do much of anything right, Sargent moved to Norwich, another team who were tipped to struggle. That was exactly what happened in 2021-22 as the Canaries were relegated, with Sargent scoring just two Premier League goals across 26 appearances.

Sargent, though, has grown since then. Last season, his first in the Championship, he scored 13 goals. This season, having seemingly grown in confidence, Sargent has had his breakout campaign, leaving many wondering how good he can be if given another chance at the top table.

That's the big question, isn't it? Sargent has proven that he can score in the Championship, but the Premier League is a different beast. At 24, he's more ready than he was at 21, but if Norwich do fail to get promoted on their own this season, what will Sargent's next step look like?

Premier League clubs are reportedly already eager to find out. Brentford have been linked with Sargent, with the Bees seeing him as a potential Ivan Toney replacement. Betting scandal aside, Toney has been one of the most valuable strikers in the Premier League for years. Replacing him would be no easy task, so it speaks volumes that Sargent is apparently on the shortlist to do that.

Former Norwich forward Chris Sutton believes it may just be a matter of time for Sargent, having proven himself as a legitimate dangerman in the Championship. Sutton told Pink Un: “I don't think the jury is out on him anymore - but he does need to get into a rhythm and show some consistency. That is the next aim for him to propel his career even further. When he was out of Norwich’s team, it was obvious how much he was missed. Sargent will have been boosted even more by that. Scoring goals is about confidence, and he is oozing it at the moment.

"Given how he started his career at Norwich, he looks a player transformed. After a tough season in the Premier League, he was probably wondering whether he actually had a future at the club. Now the position has shifted where Norwich will be worrying about keeping him heading into the summer.”

For months, the thought has been that the battle to be the USMNT's starting striker was a two-horse race. On one side was Folarin Balogun, the highly-rated dual-national recruit playing at Monaco. On the other, Ricardo Pepi, who has found his footing in the Eredivisie after emulating Sargent's struggles in the lower reaches of the Bundesliga.

Sargent, though, has forced his way in. That race has totally opened up, and at an important time, too.

Balogun has had his ups and downs this season at Monaco. Missed penalties have haunted him somewhat, but even aside from that, he's struggled to replicate his form from last season during his loan at Reims. After scoring 21 Ligue 1 goals in 2022-23, he has just five this campaign.

Pepi, meanwhile, has had a very good season at PSV. He's scored big goals for the Dutch club, both in the league and Champions League. He has six goals in the Eredevisie and a further two in Europe, but. Pepi isn't the go-to starter for PSV, with Luuk de Jong the primary No.9 for Peter Bosz.

Both have legitimate arguments to be the starting striker for the upcoming Nations League finals, and more notably, the upcoming Copa America. Balogun's ability to get in behind could be crucial, particularly against better teams. He also needs more minutes with the USMNT's best players if he's to develop chemistry with them on the road to the 2026 World Cup. Pepi, meanwhile, has proven to be a fantastic finisher, and given the attacking pieces around him, his ability to get into dangerous spots could make him a perfect fit for this U.S. team.

Sargent, though, is making his own case, too.

For a while, Sargent felt like a jack of all trades, but a master of none. He was a good, but not great, finisher. He was solid on the ball, but not a player that could beat players one-on-one too often. He was somewhat strong and somewhat fast, but not elite in either category. His pressing and effort were always there, but who wants their starting striker's best attributes to only present themselves when out of possession?

This season, though, just about everything in Sargent's game has been taken up a level. He's more confident than ever, leading to him taking and converting opportunities better than ever before. After overcoming his ankle injury, he's still been able to showcase the ability to beat defenders, both for pace and when with the ball at his feet. And the pressing and effort? That hasn't gone anywhere.

Sargent's biggest problem throughout the last few years was quite clear: his confidence. He simply didn't take enough shots. Part of that was always due to lack of service on poor Norwich and Werder Bremen teams, but part of it was also certainly mental for the young striker.

Those blocks are seemingly disappearing. Sargent clearly believes in himself, and he's giving the USMNT plenty of reason to believe in him, too. If Gregg Berhalter is choosing on form alone, there's no one close to Sargent, but we all know selection decisions are more complicated than that.

Overall, Sargent has given Berhalter plenty to think about, which is all a striker can do. And with there still plenty of time left in the Championship season, Sargent will hope there will be lots more chances to add to his goal tally as he looks ahead to a massive summer.