The Ghanaian spent two months sidelined with a knee problem in his first year in England, at a moment when his Norwich City career appeared to be taking flight following that late, heroic brace against Coventry City.
He went into the new campaign openly aware that availability would be key to his development, admitting in the off-season, “I think I’ll be part of the team for next season. I need to bring myself up and avoid getting injured. I need to train in a way that boosts my fitness.”
Unfortunately, last term brought further disruption, with two prolonged hamstring lay-offs, before yet another setback arrived in the season finale at Hull.
Those recurring fitness issues have restricted the midfielder to just 18 starts since his arrival in August 2024, with only seven of those coming last season.
The Ghanaian impressed during last summer’s pre-season under Liam Manning (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
The signals last summer were positive, with Forson catching the eye of new boss Liam Manning in early pre-season, producing a series of impressive displays in an offensive role, including against Dutch side FC Volendam, where his cross created the opening goal.
A delicate dinked pass to Ante Crnac, who directed it across for Josh Sargent in the final friendly against NAC Breda, highlighted Forson’s emerging creativity, an attribute Norwich have frequently lacked at points.
His efforts were rewarded with a start in the Championship opener against Millwall, deployed in the attacking midfield pocket. But just as he was beginning to find his rhythm, injury struck on the hour mark, forcing the 23-year-old off in tears.
Much like Forson’s stop-start spell in Norfolk, the managerial churn at City saw him return for Manning’s final three games in charge, before once again having to prove himself under Philippe Clement.
An emotional Amankwah Forson is replaced by Mathias Kvistgaarden after suffering a hamstring injury on opening day (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
Something he did to good effect, notably in his first start for the Belgian against QPR, when he curled home a delicious effort into the bottom-left corner before running off to celebrate wildly in front of the Snakepit.
That moment appeared to inject a renewed sharpness and energy into his game. Even a glaring stoppage-time miss at Bramall Lane, when he raced through one-on-one, did little to halt his involvement, as he still started the next two matches.
But the highs soon gave way to the lows, with Forson receiving an unwanted Christmas present in the form of another muscular issue away at Preston, sidelining him until March.
As Clement’s squad evolved around him, Forson remained trapped in the same cycle, another lengthy rehabilitation finally ending with his return against Leeds at Elland Road in the FA Cup.
Few would doubt the midfielder’s mental resilience and bounce-back ability, demonstrated on his first league appearance after returning against Sheffield United, when he came off the bench to score the winner and atone for his miss in the reverse fixture.
Amankwah Forson marked his Championship return in March with the winner against Sheffield United (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
However, much of a footballer’s career comes down to timing and luck, and both appeared to work against Forson, who managed just two starts in the final ten games, with another setback on the final day compounding the frustration of a difficult season.
Having been set the challenge by Clement of demonstrating physical robustness, it is difficult to argue that the Ghanaian international has done so, with just 596 minutes of action from a possible 51 games in all competitions.
While it is hard not to feel sympathy, given the volume of injury misfortune and the clear talent within him, Norwich simply cannot afford to carry players who are so irregularly available as they look to build under Clement.
It is increasingly clear that the demands of Austrian football and the Championship are poles apart, and this summer could bring a natural parting of the ways, especially with Forson’s role in the squad still difficult to define amid Clement’s wealth of attacking options.
Should he move on, it feels unlikely the Canaries will recoup the £4m paid for his services from RB Salzburg, despite him having another two years plus an option remaining on his deal. But stranger things have happened, and if he remains at Colney for pre-season, it will be up to him to convince Clement, with the hope it proves third time lucky.