Nobody at Carrow Road ever doubted the passion and effort of the Spanish winger, who joined on a free transfer from Turkish side Giresunspor last summer.
Nor, for that matter, his quality. Skilful, direct and inventive, the 23-year-old netted against Fulham on his debut and earned a reputation for scoring screamers, most notably in an FA Cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield.
Yet the moments of magic were frequently offset by moments of mayhem when all Sainz did was run down blind alleys, turn into trouble or whack absurdly ambitious shots into the stand before getting hooked.
He also got sent off twice, collecting a second booking against West Brom for waving an imaginary card at the referee and a straight red for kicking out at Middlesbrough's Jonny Howson.
The latter was ultimately rescinded, but the impression lingered of an erratic loose cannon whose match-winning ability was undermined by a dodgy temperament and a propensity to try too much.
This story is from the October 13, 2024 edition of The Football League Paper.
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This story is from the October 13, 2024 edition of The Football League Paper.
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