Kenny McLean: Norwich City midfielder hopes to improve scoring record
- Published
Kenny McLean blocks a shot by Jaidon Anthony during the game against Leeds at Elland Road
Scotland international Kenny McLean is looking to improve his goalscoring record to help Norwich City secure a place in the Championship play-offs.
McLean failed to convert one of their best chances in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at fourth-placed Leeds United.
He has only found the net eight times in 190 league appearances since joining the Canaries in 2018.
"As a midfielder you should score goals and I don't do it enough, I know that," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"Obviously in the dynamic of the team, the shape of the team, I play a bit deeper, but it was a set-piece I got the chance from and I should do so much better. I should have levelled the game up."
The loss at Elland Road ended a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions but Norwich remain eighth in the table and only two points adrift of the top six.
"It's a defeat that we'll look back on and feel that we could have took something [from the game]," said McLean, who has played in defence in several games and whose only goal this season came earlier this month in their FA Cup replay win over Bristol Rovers.
"We had a lot of control in the game, and coming here and doing that is tough because they are a really good team."
He continued: "We've been on a good run. We've had a couple of tough games recently [which we won] - Hull and West Brom, teams that are above us and that's what we need to do, beat teams above us.
"We've ground out some good results, we've played well in games, we've got just about a fully fit squad and everyone is heading in one direction, we're pushing each other daily to try and get better, and that's all we can do."
Norwich's next league game is against another play-off rival, Coventry City, at Carrow Road on 3 February.
Before that, however, they go to Anfield on Sunday to face Premier League leaders Liverpool, with a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup at stake.
Boss David Wagner has made changes to his starting line-up in the two previous rounds, but McLean is eager to be involved again.
"I want to play in these games. They're top of the Premier League just now, so what better way to test yourself? Whoever gets the opportunity to play should represent the club as well as they can," he said.
"There have been changes in the cup because the manager trusts the squad, trusts players to come in and do the same job.
"It's a question of whether he wants to freshen things up, not just as a token because he wants to give lads minutes but because they deserve it, they are working hard in training - it's not a case of giving people a game for the sake of it.
"The manager will pick the team he feels can go there and get a result."