Some words of wisdom from former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier could have a bearing on Adam Drury's participation at Carrow Road this afternoon. Drury's appearance in the Carling Cup defeat at MK Dons on Tuesday was his first game of football - including friendlies - since he limped out of the home game against Bristol City on October 20 last year.

Some words of wisdom from former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier could have a bearing on Adam Drury's participation at Carrow Road this afternoon.

Drury's appearance in the Carling Cup defeat at MK Dons on Tuesday was his first game of football - including friendlies - since he limped out of the home game against Bristol City on October 20 last year.

Today the left-back spot is likely to be between Drury and Ryan Bertrand, who has yet to begin his second loan at Norwich because of an ankle problem.

But Canaries boss Glenn Roeder is wary of what he calls the “bounce effect” on a player clearly lacking match fitness and needing to build up strength in one hamstring.

“When you drop a ball the first bounce is the highest, the next bounce is lower, lower and lower - the bounce effect,” said Roeder.

“When I was at West Ham (Paolo) Di Canio had been out for three or four months and then he played against Blackburn on a Wednesday night and he won the game for us, absolutely magnificent. But he'd been out for three or four months. On the Sunday we played Liverpool and he was non-existent.

“I got to become very close friends with Gerard Houllier after that and he said, 'I said to the team at a team meeting that Di Canio won the game on Wednesday night after being out for three or four months - we will have no problem with him today because of the bounce effect'.”

“If he doesn't play it will be nothing to do with his performance (at MK Dons). I thought he was very, very good; the longer the game went the better he was getting.

“I am very much an Adam Drury fan - but I will protect him as much as I can as well.”