Whether Alex Neil is to blame or not for Norwich City's lacklustre campaign is not a question I'm going to be answering, but one thing that does point the finger towards him is the improvement we've seen in a number of players since the Scotsman departed Carrow Road.

One member of the first-team who never really got a look in under Neil whilst he was in charge was £4.25 million-rated attacking midfielder Alex Pritchard.

The 23-year-old has definitely earned his right to play in the Championship after progressing through the various divisions in loan spells, away from Tottenham Hotspur which was his parent club until the Canaries acquired him in the summer.

Alex Neil seemingly played Pritchard in a deeper role to where's applying himself now, and it's evidently working for the ex-England under-21 international.

A reputation has grown for him to struggle to score inside the box but better suited to finding the top corner from a much further distance.

For instance, he bagged a 25-yarder in Norwich City's rout over Reading at the weekend.

Alex Pritchard has featured on 25 occasions for the club since his arrival in August but his presence has largely been appreciated by the supporters, who can obviously see why the transfer fee was just under the £8 million mark - something Neil seemingly couldn't cope with.

His five assists have been very accommodating for fans when he has the ball in the attacking half; knowing a touch of magic is highly likely to occur.

Alan Irvine has worked wonders since his appointment as interim manager and has realised that Pritchard's ability wasn't being utilised to the maximum, so he changed that and now the midfielder seems to be thriving.

I'm not sure what was expected of him but he has unquestionably met the target.

Perhaps he was told to just enjoy himself on the pitch and that can be true for an assortment of players who don't need that extra weight of pressure on their shoulders.

From Alex Pritchard's perspective, I certainly hope Irvine gets the job full-time because he will succeed in his new role throughout the course of next season and that may be vital if Norwich City want to gain promotion.

Do you agree? What impact did Pritchard have in the thrashing over Reading? Do you think he has to start every game next season? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!