Louis Thompson could be 'like a new signing' for Norwich City this season but head coach Daniel Farke is still easing the long-term injury victim back into training.

The 23-year-old hasn't played since November 2016, when he ruptured an Achilles tendon during a 3-2 Championship defeat to Leeds at Carrow Road.

The former Swindon midfielder was just starting to establish himself as a force for the Canaries but missed the rest of that season and then suffered reoccurrence of the injury and missed all of the last campaign as well.

'Louis Thompson looks really good,' Farke said of Thompson's progress. 'He has pretty much been involved in the whole of pre-season so far but he was out for two years and at the moment it is more like two days on the training pitch and then one day recovery for him.

'So we haven't taken the risk of giving him the whole volume with the rest of the squad, at the moment it's still a bit too early to bring him into the friendly games but he looked really good and really sharp and I'm pretty pleased for him.

'So hopefully we can go on in this style and if he is fit he is a really good player but you can see sometimes on the training pitch that he needs to come into his rhythm because he has not been able to play for the last two years.

'But at the moment I'm pretty pleased that he is able to be involved with us.'

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The former Wales Under-21 international made his debut as a 17-year-old for Swindon and made 44 appearances before signing for Norwich in 2014.

He ended up remaining with the Robins for two loan seasons though, making a further 61 appearances before starting 2016/17 with City.

He has so far played six matches for the Canaries, starting one league game and three in the League Cup, and while tonight's friendly at Lincoln City (7.45pm) is likely to be too soon there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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'We will see how it develops,' Farke said, when asked if another loan is needed. 'For sure it is an option but I like him very much when I see him on the pitch and I would like to work with him further. We will see how quickly it develops and how quickly he can be consistent in training.

'It could also be an option that he is a bit like a new signing.'