Out-of-favour wide player Ben Marshall insisted he was not trying to tee up a move to Millwall when he was spotted at The Den watching his new team mates earlier this month.

Marshall made his first Championship appearance since August 22 last weekend in the Lions’ 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, after sealing a loan return following a frustrating spell at Carrow Road.

The 27-year-old found himself down the peckng order under Daniel Farke but Marshall revealed there was no loan deal in place when he was photographed at Millwall’s home game against another of his former club’s, Blackburn, on January 12 after being left out of City squad who drew 1-1 at West Brom on the same day.

Farke was forced to deflect questions on Marshall’s absence at The Hawthorns and, speaking to the Southwark News, the midfielder confirmed he had not been given the green light at that stage by the Canaries to leave.

“I saw that photo,” Marshall said. “I was told I wasn’t in the Norwich squad so I had Saturday off. I got told on the Thursday. My dad lives in Manchester so I rang him and asked him if he wanted to do something.

“I said we could meet in London and having been a Blackburn player as well I said, ‘shall we go watch it?’ I texted Jed (Wallace) to see if he could get me a couple of tickets.

“There was nothing in it, I wasn’t meeting anyone. I met a few of the lads in the players’ lounge but that was it, really.

“I hadn’t even been told I could go out on loan at that point. I’d not seen my dad for a while so it made sense to go and watch a football game.

“There was, I think, contact on the Sunday or Monday. It was agreed and I got the go-ahead. I got the train down on the Wednesday morning, the manager came and picked me up from the station. I needed to get down and you know what the drive is like from Norwich. So I got the train, he picked me up and we went for a coffee and had a chat about things.

“There was a mini-medical as you would call it and that was it.”