Josh Sargent is hoping his ankle troubles are behind him as he attempts to carry the weight of goal-scoring responsibility for both club and country.
The striker has struggled with repetitive ankle niggles over the last 12 months that have left him sidelined either for Norwich City or forced him to withdraw from international duty with the USA.
Despite firing City into the play-offs under David Wagner last season, that run of form came without a period of consistent training and limited his opportunities to stake his claim to be the US main number nine.
Sargent has started every game of Championship football this season and now hopes to make the most of his opportunity to impress new USA boss Mauricio Pochettino on his first international camp in charge.
"It's been a long process dealing with [the injury]," Sargent told reporters in a press conference.
"There have been little things that have come from the original ankle injury, but at the moment I've had a good run of games. I'm playing 90 minutes pretty much every game now, and it feels like it's in a really good place.
"It's definitely been very frustrating for me. It's been a lot of doing the bare minimum in training throughout the week at Norwich, then playing on the weekend, and getting by.
"Then the national team comes around, and I'm not in a good place to perform. Or something happens at camp where it's probably the smart decision not to force it and make it worse. And it's been very annoying for me coming into these camps and not being able to play.
"It's been a while since I've been in good health and good form while I've been here and been able to play. At the moment, I feel really good, my ankle feels really good. There is a new manager, so I'm excited to see what I can do."
Sargent has started well to life under new Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, but believes he still has gears to find to return to his top level under the Dane.
"It's a new manager for us, and he's come in and given us a lot of new ideas. Game by game I feel like we've been improving. With that, we've been creating more chances," he reflected.
"I've been gaining more confidence but I still feel that there is room for improvement for me. I've missed some chances that I wish I could have back - but that is the life of the striker.
"I want to keep improving on the season. We're on a good roll right now, as a team and personally, so we just want to keep that going."
Sargent will now spend the international break attempting to impress new USA boss Pochettino, who succeeded Gregg Berhalter last month.
Having worked with the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Son Heung-min and Cole Palmer, Sargent is hoping that the former Spurs, Chelsea and PSG coach can elevate his game to the next level, with the early signs of their relationship being positive.
“We sat down, and immediately he asked me how my family was; he is a very genuine guy, but at the same time, he asked me how I like to play," Sargent said.
"He has seen videos of me and knows me, but he wants us to connect with the team. He likes to be involved, and it is a good opportunity to have this type of coach. I'm very excited."
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