Former England forward Darren Bent has suggested that Todd Cantwell could be struggling to readjust to life back out of the Premier League spotlight and urged the 22-year-old to re-find his worth ahead of the January transfer window.

Cantwell was the subject of a lot of speculation over his potential future over the summer with the England under-21 international having been an impressive performer for the Canaries in the Premier League last term. Norwich, though, elected to stay strong over their £20 million valuation of him and turned down a £15 million offer from Leeds United, per Football Insider.

The attacking midfielder has so far this season failed to register either a goal or an assist in his five league appearances, and Norwich are thought to be regretting their decision to turn down Leeds’ offer for the 22-year-old in the summer, per Football Insider.

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Speaking to Football Insider, Bent suggested that adjusting to life back in the Championship could be the reason for Cantwell’s early-season struggles in terms of his recent form. While he also urged the 22-year-old to re-find his best form to put himself back in the shop window.

He said: "I can understand, because I think Todd Cantwell did okay in the Premier League, and when you have to go back to the Championship and play it’s different.

"Yes, it’s still competitive and it’s still a good league but it’s not the Premier League, there’s not as many eyes, it’s not as global, everything about the Premier League is just bigger.

"When you drop back down after getting used to the pace of the Premier League, it can be ‘oh, really?’

"All he can do is keep his head down and try and do the right things but it can be difficult to do that. The only person that can get Todd Cantwell back to the Premier League is Todd Cantwell.

"He needs to pull his finger out and start putting the performances in again because I’m a big fan of his and I want to see him in the Premier League."

The Verdict

Cantwell was a player that displayed plenty of potential in the Premier League last season scoring six goals and providing two assists in a struggling side. The attacking midfielder’s all-around game was also very encouraging with him averaging 0.8 shots and 0.9 key passes per game in the top-flight last term (Sofascore).

The 22-year-old’s output has increased to 1.4 shots and 1.4 key passes per game so far this campaign (Sofascore), but he has been unable to see that turn into productivity in front of goal as of yet. You would expect him to improve his stats as the season progresses but he needs to work hard to get back to his very best.

Norwich could well struggle to get the £20 million they valued him at in the summer, with even the £15 million they turned down for the attacking midfielder now looking a little costly.

However, Cantwell still has plenty of time in the campaign to put himself back in the shop window and increase his potential worth again.