Sunderland may come too soon for Timm Klose but the Norwich City defender is poised to return from his knee injury for the Premier League run-in.

Alex Neil delivered an upbeat bulletin yesterday on the fitness of his influential Swiss international defender, who left Crystal Palace on crutches last week. 'He'll be a last minute call. He has not done a great deal this week, however, he is a fit lad and he has played a lot of games since he has been here,' said Neil. 'To be honest we have wrapped him up in cotton wool and we hope he can be involved in the game. Some players can play without training and others need sessions to get up to speed.

'Ledley King was a perfect example. He never trained and went straight into the side on Saturday, Paul McGrath another one. It is not a coincidence both of those were centre backs. If your reading of the game is good and you are dominant in the air, all the attributes I think Timm does have, then training is less important. All he has done is hyper-extended the knee slightly so it locked and then he jarred it. The good thing is we recognised pretty quickly when it happened and got him off. If someone is lying crumpled in a heap and not moving then you have a right to be concerned. This is more about recovery.'

Klose has emerged as a talismanic presence at the heart of the Norwich defence.

'He is a character and he brings a real togetherness to the group,' said Neil. 'He is really into team work, being part of a squad and fighting for your mates. He is a really good footballer in general and you expect that with his pedigree.'