Norwich City chief executive David McNally has pledged the club's board is again prepared to back Chris Hughton in the January transfer window.

The Canaries attracted seven new signings to Carrow Road over a productive summer and McNally, who was yesterday confirmed as a newly-elected Premier League representative to the FA Council, believes Norwich can compete again for potential New Year targets.

'Yes there is money available again in January,' he said. 'We have some budget preserved from the summer spending efforts. We'll sit down with Chris and see where, if necessary, we need to reinforce the squad. It is always sensible to have some money available for January because things like injuries can happen and we have seen that with Elliott Bennett recently. He'll be back I'm sure early in the New Year but his injury was a blow we had not anticipated.

'We did try to bring in loan cover to support that but who knows between now and Christmas. There are many, many football matches and our requirements for January may change and may evolve depending on injuries, depending on form and the evolution of the squad. The squad has changed dramatically over a relatively short period. I think Russ (Martin) and Wes (Hoolahan) are the only two now who remain from that League One title-winning squad. It shows how quickly things can change.'

McNally, speaking to the club's official site, is also confident City's commitment to youth development can bear fruit in the coming seasons following last season's landmark FA Youth Cup success.

'That win is a measure of the progress people like Ricky Martin, Neil Adams and many others have achieved,' he said. 'Clearly there is a challenge doing well at academy and Under-18 level and then progressing through to the first team in the Premier League. The club has come a long way in a short period of time and the Premier League is the toughest, most successful league in the world. The move towards the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a big step in the right direction.'