Chris Brown could be close to a long-awaited return to action for the Canaries. The striker has been out of the picture since the end of February and has managed just three Championship starts for Peter Grant since moving down from Sunderland during the January transfer window for £325,000.

Chris Brown could be close to a long-awaited return to action for the Canaries.

The striker has been out of the picture since the end of February and has managed just three Championship starts for Peter Grant since moving down from Sunderland during the January transfer window for £325,000.

A hamstring problem was originally diagnosed, but then it became clear that the 22-year-old's problems emanated from his back.

As soon as Brown stepped up his work on the training pitches, he struggled - but Grant believes there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“He is very close now,” he said. “He had an injection last week and that's helped him a lot, he feels a lot better.

“He's running on the training pitch, where we haven't seen him for a long while. Because of the area in his back where it was it was very difficult to find, but he seems a lot more comfortable in himself and a lot easier in himself and better in the fact that when he steps up the pace now he doesn't feel it as much as he did even last week, so that is a big improvement.”

Brown's recovery hasn't come in time for him to make the squad for this weekend's visit of Southampton - and possibly not next week at Sheffield Wednesday.

“Will I take the chance with him being out that length of time next weekend? Probably not,” said Grant. “But yet again it is going to be a long hot summer for him, because he has missed a lot of football and we have to make sure that doesn't reoccur next year.”