The £5.8million January signing was left out of the Canaries’ matchday squad for their Championship opener against Millwall, head coach Manning admitting that he wasn’t up to the required standard after a nightmare start to life in NR1.
But Jurasek came on as a substitute in Tuesday night’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Watford, his first competitive appearance since February.
His boss was pleased with what he contributed in that 13 minute cameo and felt that it highlighted his importance to the City squad.
“He did exactly what the team needed, the way he won a free-kick and progressed us up the pitch and killed the game a little bit,” said Manning. “He did exactly what we needed.
“We’re going to need him, and that’s the key bit. The hardest bit in football is that naturally and understandably, all the lads have their own individual goals and motivations.
“But the biggest thing we all have to be willing to do is put the team first and put the team ahead of ourselves. If the team’s successful, you’ll get what you want individually off the back of it.”
That collective mentality is what the former Bristol City boss has asked his charges to show as they jostle for position in a push for Premier League promotion.
Although he was pleased with the strength in depth on display at Vicarage Road, he wants to see it harnessed for the good of the squad at large.
“That’s my challenge to the group: put the team ahead of yourself,” he continued. “I know that across the marathon of a Championship season we’re going to need everybody to step in and deliver.
“I thought that when you looked at it, the subs came on and had a real strong impact, which is massive for us.”