'I believe a lot in his qualities' - City boss on Makama return

Philippe Clement is a big believer in Jovon Makama but aims to stay on the fit-again Norwich City striker’s case so he can terrorise Championship defences. Makama played his first minutes since a broken foot injury against Blackburn in February 2026, during the latest 0-0 Colchester friendly draw at Colney behind closed doors. The 22-year-old, who had plundered 10 league goals in his debut tour before a season-ending winter injury, had two chances to open his account against the Us. “It's good for him. It's good for the team,” said the City boss. “He had a good season for sure. If you see where he was in the beginning and how he was when he got injured he's taking steps. He's getting fitter, he's getting leaner, he's becoming more an athlete. He's going to be important for the future and for the season coming. I believe a lot in his qualities. “But there are a lot of things to work on to be this decisive support for the team; from the right positioning in the box, the finishing, the relentlessness to press also all the time. He showed also a lot of quality already last season, but it's not about showing this a few times. It's about continuously showing that game after game after game. "Those are the really top strikers, who are there every time. It doesn't mean that they score every time, that's not possible, but they're doing the right things every time, and we need to create habits with him and all the players.” Clement revealed the tone of his post-match pep talk on the Colney pitch with the forward, after a pre-season stalemate against the League Two visitors. “We talked about his positioning in the box and the things we worked on last season and because of that he became better and better to find the space to score the goals,” said the Norwich head coach. “In the first 10 minutes he did that, and then afterwards he forgot. So it's about refreshing these things. That's the important thing. "Tired bodies make tired heads, but still they need to make the right decision and do the right things together. So that's why we use these pre-season games to put them in a tired state to play friendly games to make the next step.”