Dean Smith would’ve hoped Josh Sargent’s return to Norwich City’s lineup gave his squad a spark at Villa Park, but instead the American forward looks set to miss the remaining matches of the English Premier League season.

Sargent played only 14 minutes in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, a result that officially relegated the Canaries from the English top-flight. After missing one month due to an ankle injury, Sargent re-aggravated the injury Saturday, forcing him to be replaced in the final moments of the defeat.

 “He [Sargent] aggravated his ankle,” said Smith postmatch.

“It was a bit of a risk to play him but we knew there were consequences depending on our result and other results elsewhere. He just aggravated it slightly, it won’t be too bad, but that was the reason he came off.”

The 22-year-old Sargent came on in the second half with Norwich City already down 1-0 due to Ollie Watkins’ goal before halftime. Sargent was lively in his early moments of the match, but eventually went down on the field and was replaced by Lukas Rupp. Danny Ings iced the victory in stoppage time, condemning Norwich City to the second-tier next season.

Sargent made the move from German club Werder Bremen in August 2021, scoring two goals and registering one assist in 25 league appearances for Norwich City this season. It is unknown if Sargent will return this season as the Canaries only have four matches left in May.

Another spell on the sidelines could hamper Sargent’s chances of getting back into the USMNT squad for a busy June schedule. Gregg Berhalter’s side faces Morocco and Uruguay in a pair of friendlies before taking on Grenada and El Salvador in Concacaf Nations League play.