Norwich City manager Daniel Farke hints at further gametime for Adam Idah following Premier League bow

Norwich City manager hinted Adam Idah may play a further part in the club’s Premier League campaign after making his senior league debut on Wednesday evening.

The 18-year-old was an injury-time sub for Alexander Tettey as the Canaries successfully protected a 1-1 scoreline against high-flying Crystal Palace.

That made the Corkman the third teenage Irish striker to debut in the Premier League this season after Brighton’s Aaron Connolly and Tottenham Hotspur’s Troy Parrott.

Connolly has already hit a brace in the 3-0 league win over Spurs while a fourth Irish teenager, Michael Obafemi, was recently on target in Southampton’s 2-0 win over Chelsea.

Idah, who signed for the East Anglia club two years ago from College Corinthians, has been linked to a loan move with League One sides Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers believed to be interested.

But Farke indicated that the club may need to have all squad members at their disposal following a punishing Christmas schedule and Idah could be in line to feature in the FA Cup on Saturday.

“I don’t like to praise the young lads too much, but him playing is a sign of our way,” Farke told the club’s official website.

“He looked pretty sharp when he came on, but he knows he has to improve and work further on.

“It’s not that easy to produce just by pressing a button to be a Premier League player at his age, but he’s got a lot of potential.”

Farke will have to make changes for the FA Cup tie with Preston North End at Deepdale and, with striker Teemu Pukki withdrawing from the Palace game with a strain, Idah could be the beneficiary.

“We want to go into the next round of the FA Cup, but we had four games in ten games during the festive period, so that’s a lot for many players,” said Farke.

“I had to substitute Teemu Pukki because he felt something in his hamstring, so we won’t take any risks in the cup.

“We need a miracle to stay in the Premier League, so we will rotate a bit, but we want to go into the next round so we’ll have a strong starting line-up.

“I hope it’s not too bad for Teemu. We have to wait for the doctors and physios but it’s too early to judge it.”

Ireland under-21 striker Idah, who has notched three goals in six qualifying games for Stephen Kenny’s side, expressed his delight at making his Premier League bow.

He had been on the bench for several league games earlier in the season, including a famous 3-2 win over Manchester City, and made his senior bow in the EFL Cup defeat to Crawley Town in August.

“I’m delighted because I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a young boy. I’m very honoured and happy to make my debut,” he told the club's website.

“I found out on Tuesday after training that I’d be involved and I was delighted, so I went home and rang my family straight away. They watched the game so I’m buzzing.”