Dickson has the attitude to play - Grant

CHRIS LAKEY Dickson Etuhu will be given the chance to play through thick and the thin as Peter Grant seeks to extract the quality he knows is lurking in the big Canaries midfielder.

CHRIS LAKEY

Dickson Etuhu will be given the chance to play through thick and the thin as Peter Grant seeks to extract the quality he knows is lurking in the big Canaries midfielder.

The City boss has been full of praise for Etuhu since taking the reins in October, but says a foot injury has been partly to blame for recent inconsistency.

Etuhu hit top form as soon as Grant arrived, bagging the only goal in the win against Cardiff City in the new manager's first home game.

And while performances have been up and down since, Grant insists he won't be dropping the 24-year-old.

“I just find he needs to play,” said Grant. “I think he has been one of these players who has always been left out and it's been easy enough to leave him out and I think he gets more and more confident the more games he has.

“He has got to play more games, even when he is not playing as well, to get that confidence of playing and knowing the role I want him to play in the team.

“I think he has got all the attributes to be a top player. Sometimes you have to go through good games, bad games, indifferent games to get the best from him. I think he is more than capable of doing that.”

Grant allowed the former Preston man to take pain-killing injections when the problem first flared up, but soon put a stop to that.

“We stopped him after the second time because I think that is unfair on him,” said Grant. “Sometimes it just numbs the pain, but as soon as the game finishes it's back. You have to be very, very careful.

“Some of the games he couldn't feel his foot as you could see - that final pass was overhit or whatever - but he feels better than that and as each week has come he has felt better and better.

“It is hindering him a little bit, but the great thing about him is that he wants to play every game, which is a fantastic attitude to have.”

Etuhu is part of a full squad available to Grant for the Tamworth trip, with only Luke Chadwick definitely ruled out with a knee injury.

There have been concerns over left winger Darren Huckerby while a few others missed training yesterday, but Grant doesn't expect the knocks to spill over to the weekend.

“Hopefully they will be fine,” he said. “Hucks we will just monitor closely because of his hamstring, but I am sure he will be fine.

“Dion (Dublin) obviously was rested the other day and came on so he is no problem. So apart from Luke Chadwick at this moment in time I would say everybody will be fully fit.”