CHRIS LAKEY Nigel Worthington has been knocked back by Premiership side Tottenham in his efforts to get England Under-21 midfielder Tom Huddlestone to Norwich on a loan deal. The City manager has also revealed that he tried to sign Southend striker Freddy Eastwood.

CHRIS LAKEY

Nigel Worthington has been knocked back by Premiership side Tottenham in his efforts to get England Under-21 midfielder Tom Huddlestone to Norwich on a loan deal.

The Canaries boss is after two major quality loan captures, in the same way that he brought Peter Crouch and Darren Huckerby to Carrow Road in such a blaze of publicity three years ago.

Huddlestone is less recognised than those two, but very much on a par ability-wise, with a reputation as an England player of the future.

However, Worthington has hit a brick wall as far as Tottenham are concerned, with Martin Jol refusing to let the youngster go.

“He is a player I much admire and if there is a loan situation it is certainly something I would explore,” said Worthignton, who confirmed he had made inquiries. “But it's not on at this moment in time. But I'll keep ringing - Mr Jol will have a sore ear by the time I've finished.”

Huddlestone joined Spurs from Derby, where he broke into the first team at the age of 16, in the summer of 2005. He spent the end of the year on loan at Wolves for three months and played a major part in the Molineux club's 2-0 win over Norwich in early November.

Worthington managed to add only Lee Croft to his squad during the summer and although he has brought in goalkeeper Lee Camp from Derby on a loan deal, his squad is looking decidedly thin on numbers.

With Darren Huckerby now ruled out for up to a month, the numbers have dwindled again, but Worthington says the loan search continues in the same vein.

“We have been looking in those areas anyway, partially cover, back-up in those areas, again like the left-back situation,” he said.

“We have been looking in that area already and we have been knocked back two or three different times from different clubs so we will keep looking, keep trying.”

For the meantime, he will have to decide which of the experienced squad players comes into the team for Huckerby.

“We will be showing faith with the players we have got within the club,” he said. “Hucks' injury takes off the squad players for the next month so if we can - and it's a big if, it will not be down to Norwich City themselves, it is down to other clubs to play ball - if we can bring another player or two in we will do it.”

Part of the problem may be persuading other clubs to release players, particularly those in the top flight.

“I think it is going to be very difficult because there are a lot of them in Europe, the Champions League and so on, and others that are not in Europe haven't got the biggest squads,” he said.

“Everything has been tightened right up. It is a case of us keep calling, keeping on top of it and seeing what they say.”

t Worthington has revealed he tried to sign Southend striker Freddy Eastwood, scorer of two goals this season and 23 last season.

“He is a player that we inquired about, a player that we liked, but he wasn't for sale,” said Worthington. “We respected that.”