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Nathan Redmond at Norwich City: How Alex Neil helped him improve

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We look at the stats that show how Nathan Redmond has improved under Norwich boss Alex Neil.

Ross Barkley has started well. Callum Wilson even has a hat-trick. But only one Englishman has either scored or assisted a goal in each of the first three Premier League games of the season. Norwich winger Nathan Redmond is in the form of his career.

Having played in Europe for Birmingham as a 17-year-old, Redmond is a player who seems to have been around for ages. He has more than 170 senior appearances to his name already. But, at 21, his long-anticipated progress has accelerated over the past year.

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Redmond speaks to Sky Sports about Norwich's Premier League return

Relegation with Norwich in 2014 provided focus. "I learnt a lot more in that year than I have in any other year," he told Sky Sports. "I think for me personally it was a wake-up call: 'You need to get your act together'." But the real catalyst was the arrival of Alex Neil in January.

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"He won the boys over straight away," said Redmond when asked about the Norwich boss. "He gave us respect and we give him respect. He told me he wanted more from me. Since he came in my assists went up and my goals-to-game ratio went up as well."

Redmond's dribbling ability was never in doubt – he ranked among the top two in the Championship for completed dribbles last season. But until recently, the goals and assists had proved more problematic for the youngster.

Bakary Sako made the most dribbles in the Championship last season - just 5 more than Nathan Redmond.
Image: Redmond's 109 completed dribbles put him in the top two in the Championship

While acknowledging he was a "really good outlet" for his team, ex-Norwich boss Chris Hughton once accused Redmond of "lacking an end product" and not without reason. He had netted only once – a header in a 5-0 win over 10-men Huddersfield – in 22 Championship games prior to Neil's appointment.

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Neil himself has said that Redmond "needed to add goals to his game" and it's now happening. In 27 league games under the new manager, Redmond has scored seven goals and provided eight assists. The transformation has been stunning and timely.

Nathan Redmond made the second-highest assists in the Sky Bet Championship last season
Image: Redmond provided the joint-second most assists in last season's Championship

Indeed, Redmond came up with three goals and four assists in the final five games of last season – scoring against Middlesbrough in the play-off final at Wembley. He finished among the top two in the Championship for both assists and chances created, as well as dribbles. That's the sound of a penny dropping.

The return to the Premier League is a step up but, in an otherwise disappointing tournament for Gareth Southgate's England under-21 side, there were further signs of development at the European Championships in the summer.

Jacob Butterfield  was the only player who created more chances than Nathan Redmond in the 2014/15 Championship
Image: Only Jacob Butterfield created more than Redmond in last year's Championship

His snap shot led to a goal against Sweden and he also netted against Italy. Unfortunately, they were the only two goals England managed. And yet, despite the travails of his team-mates, Redmond was included in the UEFA technical observers' team of the tournament.

That form has continued into the current campaign and his game is continuing to develop under Neil.  "I've been playing on the right my whole life," he told Sport earlier this month. "I feel like I am capable of filling in at number 10, on the left – but my strongest position is on the right.

Nathan Redmond touches of the ball in the Premier League in 2015/16 (as of August 24, 2015)
Image: Redmond has played predominantly on the right but been allowed to roam

"We've got the flexibility in midfield to have the freedom, when you're attacking, to go and play where you want and get on the ball. That's the instruction given by the manager. He gave me the freedom to play off Wes Hoolahan, float on the left and make runs up front."

Both Redmond's goals have come from Hoolahan assists and perhaps that's part of the reason why his manager is convinced the player is in the best possible place for him to improve. "There is no reason for him to go anywhere else," said Neil recently.

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Image: Redmond's productivity increased following the arrival of Neil in January

Nevertheless, speculation about Redmond's potential is understandable. After all, he's still eligible for the European Under-21 Championship in 2017. Time is on his side and Southgate even drew an intriguing comparison with Raheem Sterling at St George's Park this summer.

"You move on to the next one and look to see who we can bring through to challenge him," Southgate told reporters. "Nathan Redmond is progressing really well and is the same year group as Raheem. So he can now push for that senior squad and get the experiences."

Nathan Redmond is progressing really well and is the same year group as Raheem [Sterling]. So he can now push for that senior squad and get the experiences.
Gareth Southgate

Norwich supporters will be anxious for those experiences to continue to come in canary yellow. And with Alex Neil guiding his career, it's difficult to imagine there's a better place for Nathan Redmond to be.

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