Norwich City midfielder Jonny Howson is convinced the Canaries' squad will prove they have what it takes to secure their Premier League future.

City's weekend defeat at struggling Wigan dragged them firmly back into the scramble to avoid relegation but Howson is in no doubt Chris Hughton will guide the club to safety.

'Yes, you've always got to have that mentality. If you didn't have that feeling or that mindset, you might as well give up now,' he said. 'Since I've come to the club, not just this season, there has always been a positive mentality so that's not changed, even with different staff coming in during the summer.

'Managers have different ways of playing, different strategies. The manager at the minute likes to have a good shape about the team, be solid and I think for the majority of the season we've done that. You can see that, especially at home against some of the top sides. They have found it hard to break us down and you can see the good work we've done on the training pitch has paid off for us. We have got better defensively. We're still in a good position, that's the main thing. You'd take scoring the least amount of goals if you stay in the division, so it's not something we've been worried about.'

Howson arrived in Norfolk with a reputation as an attacking midfielder but the 24-year-old will do whatever it takes to retain his place in the starting line up after a prominent role over the last five games alongside former Leeds' ally Bradley Johnson.

'It's something that I like to do, get forward. But the manager has come in and he likes his two midfielders to be a little bit more solid. It's part of the game,' said Howson. 'You've got to adapt when you're playing at the highest level. I'd love to get forward all the time and chip in with a few goals but you're doing something the manager wants for the good of the team and you do whatever is asked of you. I know Bradley's game and he knows my game. From the experiences that we've had together, you know each other as players. The longer you know someone, you have a better relationship. If you know someone and how they work then it becomes easier to work together.'

Howson's recent run has included the battling league displays against Everton and Sunderland which served to underline the fighting instincts within Hughton's squad.

'Sometimes you get a better feeling when you've had circumstances like we had at Sunderland and you still end up getting a positive result,' he said.

'Another one I can think of is the Everton game when we scored two in the last few minutes. It feels as if you have won a cup final. If we had just won 2-0, you're still pleased but it's that little bit more special when circumstances are against you.'