Press news in (Only a summary this week)....

Daniel Farke previewed Norwich City’s Championship Boxing Day game at Watford - and we had all the key lines first from a video chat with the boss at Colney.

Tim Krul will not return for City's festive league fixtures after the Dutch international underwent a course of injections either side of last weekend's Championship game against Cardiff.

Farke hinted Coventry City's FA Cup third round visit on January 9 could be a realistic target, after suffering a thigh issue in the win at Stoke in late November.

Marco Stiepermann will also miss out at Watford. Farke revealed he has been suffering with an ear infection, which has affected his balance in recent games, and City have taken the decision to give him a short break in order to return fighting fit.

In more positive injury news, Ben Gibson (hamstring) and Xavi Quintilla (hip) have both returned to training and are available for Watford.

Przemyslaw Placheta (hamstring) is still to return to team training and is not under consideration for Boxing Day.

Farke also confirmed Max Aarons is fine and has trained all week after he hobbled off in the closing stages of the Bluebirds' victory after rolling his ankle.

Onel Hernandez (adductor), Sam Byram (hamstring), Adam Idah (knee) and Bali Mumba (knee) are not expected to be in contention until early in the new year. Hernandez is in light training and Farke previously suggested he might be back in team training before the end of the year.

Moritz Leitner and Josip Drmic are not part of the plans for the new season.

Farke spoke to the media remotely from Colney.

Additional, Idah Contract.....

Idah signs new City deal and reveals good news on injury recovery

Adam Idah has delivered a double Christmas present for Norwich City fans, signing a new long-term contract and revealing his injury rehabilitation is ahead of schedule.

The 19-year-old striker - who joined the Canaries academy from Cork club College Corinthians in 2017 - has signed a new deal to add a year to his previous terms, extending until the summer of 2024.

The Republic of Ireland international hasn't played for City since late October, serving a three-game ban after a red card for an angry reaction to a tackle during the 2-1 home win over Wycombe and then remaining on the bench during the 1-0 victory over Swansea at Carrow Road when he was available again.

Idah then went away and won his fourth and fifth senior international caps but returned to Norfolk with a knee injury.

“It’s recovering really well, to be fair," he said of his injury. "They thought I might be back sometime in February but as it stands now I should be back in mid-January, so everything’s going well.”

It's been a busy year for the forward. He became City's youngest ever hat-trick scorer in January when he starred at Preston in the FA Cup, started a Premier League game at Old Trafford, scored a crucial shoot-out penalty at Tottenham in the FA Cup, tasted the pain of top-flight relegation and was thrown into the international deep end by new Ireland boss Stephen Kenny.

His injury has slowed his progress but the new contract will allow him to start 2021 in a good frame of mind and feeling hungry for more success.

“I’m over the moon, just so happy to put pen to paper," he said, speaking to City's official website. "When I heard the news I knew straight away that I wanted to extend my contract with this club.

“Ever since I’ve come here I’ve loved every moment of it.”

Idah has scored four goals in 23 games so far for City, including getting the ball rolling for the current Championship leaders in September when he came off the bench to score the late winner at Huddersfeld during the opening weekend of the campaign.

He continued: “Every year has been different, it’s been a good experience for me, I’ve developed a lot as a player. I’ve come up through every age group and I just want to keep getting better and developing.

“I think Norwich is the best place for me to do that. I love the club, it’s like a second family to me, everyone’s welcomed me in since the moment I got here.

“Also it reminds me a lot of back home, Norwich is so similar to Cork, everyone here is so friendly, not just in the club but the public and the fans. So I’m just happy to extend my time here.”

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Jolly Merry Christmas from all here at DubsMedia corp.

Posted By: DrDublin, Dec 24, 17:06:11