CHRIS LAKEY Canaries forgotten man Matthieu Louis-Jean could be back in action by the end of this month.Louis-Jean has been sidelined for nine months after suffering a torn hamstring in training, but says he can finally see light at the end of what has proved to be a long tunnel.

CHRIS LAKEY

Canaries forgotten man Matthieu Louis-Jean could be back in action by the end of this month.

Louis-Jean has been sidelined for nine months after suffering a torn hamstring in training, but says he can finally see light at the end of what has proved to be a long tunnel.

The 30-year-old French defender had played just two matches for City following his summer move from Nottingham Forest in a swap deal for Gary Holt.

But his nightmare is almost over and Louis-Jean believes it will be like a new player arriving at the club when he finally dons his boots again.

“I am working with the ball and doing everything and now it's about getting match fit, and hopefully that will come pretty quickly,” he said. “Maybe two or three weeks.”

“It was a really frustrating season for me - coming into a new club what you really want to do is show people and prove a lot, but I have not been on the pitch for so long that I will definitely be like a new player coming in.

“Hopefully my injury is behind me and I can look forward to a new season.

“I hope it will be a different season for me and the club.”

Louis-Jean played the first two games of last season for City, but was dropped after the disappointing 1-1 home draw with Crewe and after three outings for the reserves, suffered his devastating setback.

“I was coming from seven years at Nottingham Forest - you come into a new club you expect a lot of things but it all fell out really,” he said. “But I am really confident and positive that I can have a good season in front of me.”

Once Louis-Jean is back to full fitness he faces a battle to win back a place in the first team in a position where manager Nigel Worthington has plenty of candidates. Jurgen Colin looks to be favourite to start the season there, but Worthington also has the option of clubs skipper Craig Fleming and Academy product Michael Spillane.

“It is like that anywhere you go,” said Louis-Jean. “You always get competition and we have good competition, everybody enjoys working together and it is a fair competition.”

Whoever gets the shirt will have a new face in front of him on the right flank in the shape of Lee Croft, who this week put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Carrow Road - although Louis-jean is counting no chickens on the prospect of pairing up with the youngster.

“Sure, he looks a really good prospect, one of the really good young players,” said Louis-Jean. “But what is in my thinking at the moment is to get a couple of games in the reserves first and after that I will try my best to get into the first team.”