Andrew Omobamidele is fighting fit and ready to spearhead Norwich City’s Championship play-off charge.

The highly-rated defender is back in the Republic of Ireland squad after a 16-month absence due to the injuries that halted his meteoric rise for club and country.

Omobamidele was sidelined for months last year with a stress-related back issue, and then suffered an ankle injury earlier this season.

The 20-year-old was a regular starter for David Wagner, alongside Grant Hanley, before he was withdrawn at half-time in the recent goalless league draw at Wigan.

“After my ankle injury I had problems with my adductors. Both my groins were a bit overloaded,” he said. “I had just come off the back of playing Saturday/Tuesday games and they were starting to pipe back up and starting to give me a little bit of a problem.

"I had to take off the load. My training load had to be reduced and stuff like that, so I just had to manage it.

“I’m in a good place now with them. Obviously in the Championship it’s relentless - Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday - and this is my first season starting in the Championship and playing, so I’ve needed to manage my load.

“There's eight games left, we just need to take it game by game and dig in, help each other out, I think we have the squad for it, we weren't really expecting to be where we are, being honest, but we're in the position and we need to knuckle down and grind out results in these last games.”

Club mate Adam Idah has also reported to the Irish camp to be assessed by the Republic’s medical staff. Wagner indicated after the weekend’s 0-0 Championship draw the absent striker could be out for a number of weeks with a swollen foot.

“He got taken off against Huddersfield, he did something to his foot, he got his scans and he's wanted to come in,” said Omobamidele. “It would be easy for him to be like 'Oh yes, I have a bit of a knock, I want to rest it' but you can see how much he wants to come and play for the country.”

Omobamidele admits his own long term back issue was a test of body and mind after a limited chance to impress at Premier League level.

“The worst part for me was not telling me ‘you’re out for six months’. It was more like we’ll keep scanning every three weeks to see how it’s progressing,” he said, speaking to reporters on Monday from the Irish training camp.

“That was the gruelling part for me, sitting there not knowing when I’d be back, wondering if was a month, two or three. I could never plan anything, like being back for a game or an international camp.

“Looking back now it was difficult. It made me find my way in certain areas that maybe I wouldn’t have found. I had great support back at Norwich.

“I kind of came onto the scene quickly at Norwich and on the international stage, obviously my debut against Portugal. Going from all of those highs to the lowest where I couldn't do anything, not even gym work, I just had to naturally rest.

"It was tough but happily that's behind me, I've no problems with my back.

“You have to remind yourself it was a stress fracture. There was a lot of thinking. It’s not like a normal injury that you have to do rehab on. My back just completely shut down and that’s why I had the back brace. I did nothing for two months.

"I’d get up in the morning, go in and go home. That was my life for six months.”