Manchester United Early career Born in
Burnley, Lancashire, Norwood began his football career playing for his brother's team in his home town. He was spotted by
Manchester United scouts when he was 6 years old and joined the club at the age of 7. After eight appearances for Manchester United's under-18s side in 2005–06 and 2006–07, he joined the club as a trainee in July 2007. He became a regular in the under-18s team in 2007–08, scoring twice in 22 appearances, and he made his debut for the reserve team in a 2–1 away win over
Middlesbrough on 6 November 2007. The following season, he scored nine goals in 28 appearances for the
under-18s, as well as appearing a further 10 times for the reserves. His form prompted the club to sign him on a professional contract in July 2009.
2009–10 season 2009–10 was a big season for Norwood, as he made the full step up to the reserve team and also received his first call-up to the first-team for their
Champions League group stage match away to
Wolfsburg. However, although he made the trip to Germany, Norwood was not named in the 18-man match-day squad.
Carlisle United (loan) On 16 September 2010, Norwood signed for
Carlisle United on a one-month emergency loan contract, following a knee injury to Carlisle captain
Paul Thirlwell. He made his debut for the Cumbrian side on 18 September 2010 in a 0–0 draw at home to
Brighton & Hove Albion, playing the full 90 minutes of the game. Norwood made a total of seven appearances during his loan spell, with six coming in the league, before his stay was cut short by injury in October 2010.
Scunthorpe United (loan) On 24 August 2011, Norwood signed for
Scunthorpe United on a six-month loan. He made his debut for Scunthorpe in the side's 2–1 League Cup second round defeat at home to
Newcastle United on 25 August 2011, when he played the full 90 minutes plus extra time. His league debut came just two days later with another start in a 3–2 defeat away at Sheffield Wednesday on 27 August 2011. His first league goal of the season came in Scunthorpe's draw at home to Huddersfield Town on 25 October 2011, scoring the opener on 10 minutes; the game ended 2–2. Norwood received the first red card of his career in Scunthorpe's 3–2 away defeat to Notts County on 26 November 2011, when he was sent off for a foul on
Jeff Hughes. Norwood played a total of 16 starts and scored once during his loan spell before returning to parent club Manchester United in January 2012.
Coventry City (loan) Norwood completed a loan switch to Championship side
Coventry City on the January 2012 deadline day, and remained on loan until the end of the season. Norwood made his Coventry City debut in the team's 3–2 home defeat to Ipswich Town on 4 February 2012, coming on as a 25th-minute substitute for David Bell; his first start for the club came in their next game: a 2–0 defeat on 11 February 2012 away to Reading. On 21 March 2012, he scored a stoppage-time equaliser against Cardiff to earn a point for the Sky Blues. He scored his second
Coventry City goal in the 2–0 home win against
Portsmouth on 24 March 2012.
Huddersfield Town At the end of the 2011–12 season, Norwood confirmed that he was rejecting Manchester United's offer of a contract extension to pursue first-team football. In June 2012, Manchester United agreed compensation packages for Norwood with
Championship clubs
Barnsley and
Huddersfield Town. Norwood rejected Barnsley's offer on 29 June, and he signed a three-year contract with Huddersfield later that day. He made his league debut in a 1–0 away defeat to
Cardiff City on 17 August. Norwood scored his first goal for the Terriers with the opener in a 3–1 win over
Sheffield Wednesday at
Hillsborough Stadium on 19 September.
Reading On 19 August 2014, Norwood was spotted in the crowd at the
Madejski Stadium watching his current club, Huddersfield Town, playing the club he would soon join. He had his medical the following day, and then agreed personal terms the day after that. The fee was described by Huddersfield as a "significant and undisclosed fee". He took the number 6 shirt. Norwood made his Reading debut as a second-half substitute in the 4–0 defeat by Nottingham Forest on 23 August 2014.
Brighton & Hove Albion On 3 August 2016, Norwood signed a three-year contract with
Brighton & Hove Albion. On 16 August 2016, Norwood made his debut in the 3–0 win over
Rotherham United. During the 2016/17 season, he played 33 times as
Brighton & Hove Albion earned promotion to the Premier League after finishing as Runners Up to
Newcastle United in The Championship.
Fulham (loan) During July 2017, Norwood joined
EFL Championship side
Fulham on a season-long loan deal following Brighton gaining promotion to the Premier League. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a 2–1 loss at
Burton Albion on 16 September 2017. During his loan spell, Norwood scored 5 goals and played 41 times for Fulham in all competitions including playing in the playoff final, as Fulham earned promotion to
Premier League after winning the
2018 Championship play-off final against
Aston Villa at
Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2018.
Sheffield United (loan) On 13 August 2018, Norwood joined
Sheffield United in an initial loan deal, with the transfer due to be made permanent in January 2019. He made his debut for the club the following day against Hull City in a league cup tie. The Blades lost 5–4 on penalties following a 1–1 draw with Norwood being the only player to miss in the penalty shoot-out. He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 win over Aston Villa on 1 September 2018, netting a free-kick.
Sheffield United On 4 January 2019, Norwood made his deal at
Sheffield United permanent. In March 2019 he was selected to the 2018–19 Championship Team of the Season. On 28 April 2019, Norwood saw United promoted to the
Premier League. On 10 June 2020, vice-captain Norwood signed a new three-year contract. On 4 November 2023, he scored a penalty in the tenth minute of stoppage time to grant Sheffield United a 2–1 win over
Wolverhampton Wanderers, to be his club's first victory after 11 matches in the
2023–24 season. On 29 May 2024, the club announced he would be leaving in the summer when his contract expired. He was released on 1 July 2024.
Stockport County On 23 August 2024, Norwood joined newly promoted
League One club
Stockport County on a three-year deal following a successful trial period. ==International career==