New Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup said Jonathan Rowe’s decision to withdraw from the squad on the morning of the 2-0 defeat at Championship newcomers Oxford had a big impact on his team.
The 21-year-old winger has been linked with a move away from Carrow Road during the summer transfer window and was absent at the Kassam Stadium after a reported bid from Marseille on Friday.
A goal in each half by Mark Harris and Cameron Brannagan condemned Thorup to defeat in his first game in charge of City.
The Dane said: “It was too late a decision. It should not happen on game days, of course. It’s fair to say it can have some effect on the group and on the performance level.
“These things can happen, it can also be an injury in the warm-up and you have to find the best possible solution.
“I think it’s positive that we have players who are interesting to other clubs. We have to be prepared that something can happen – not just with Jonny but with others in the rest of the window now.
“You need to prepare for more or less everything when the transfer window is open. But it was not ideal and if I were a teammate I would not be happy about the situation.
“My next plan is to have a conversation with Jonny on what happened today – and how can we continue moving forward.”
On the defeat, Thorup added: “We didn’t defend well and we should have put more pressure on their box and their defensive lines so overall I was not satisfied.”
Oxford returned to English football’s second tier for the first time in 25 years and cruised to a comfortable opening-day victory.
Harris struck in the 28th minute, cutting inside and shooting low under Angus Gunn after Grant Hanley failed to deal with Ciaran Brown’s long ball down the left.
Brannagan made it 2-0 when he met Sam Long’s low cross from the right with a brilliant first-time strike from 20 yards after 58 minutes.
Boss Des Buckingham said: “It was a great start and we said to the boys about coming into the game and not shying away from the level of competition and changing the way we have been playing the last six months.
“When you come into so many unknowns, it’s important you stick to that identity, and I’m delighted with the performance.
“We have tried to build a side that will allow us to have depth and add quality to what we already have, but you can’t ignore what we already have here.
“There are a lot of players who have shown a real clear understanding of what we are trying to do, and there have been a lot of players who have worked very hard here to get us to the Championship.
“When we looked at this game, with the relationships they have, we felt they deserved the chance to show that they can perform in the Championship.
“They played so well as a group and I’m so pleased with what I’ve just watched.
“It wasn’t easy, believe me. We’ve got 45 more of those – we’ll get different tests chucked at us.”
