Getting Ben Godfrey and Grant Hanley fit and available is a high priority for Daniel Farke during Norwich City’s international break.

England Under-21 captain Godfrey undergoes a hernia operation in Germany on Tuesday after playing through the pain barrier over the past month, while Hanley is also poised to visit a specialist to get to the bottom of the groin problems that have sidelined him since a 3-2 Premier League defeat to Chelsea.

Godfrey has been the senior partner in a makeshift central defence, alongside Sevilla loan signing Ibrahim Amadou, with both Timm Klose and Christoph Zimmermann longer term absentees.

"He's flown out to Munich to have this surgery because he couldn't go on with not training and pain killers to play," said Farke. "It is good for his head and his body this is done.

"I don't want to cry too much and say he could defend certain situations better (in the first half against Aston Villa). We don't want sympathy but he wasn't able to train properly during the last weeks.

"There's a little chance that he's back for the Bournemouth game. It's not 100pc confirmed because it is going to be between nine and 14 days until he's back in team training. But we have a chance and he's a tough guy.

"I am sure he will try everything to be available.

"We have had three centre backs injured and Ben playing in pain for weeks."

Hanley was forced to pull out of his second consecutive Scottish international squad after suffering a relapse ahead of Villa's visit.

"We can't change it. Of course it's annoying and trying because we got the feeling Grant had been back 12 or 13 days in team training and of course he was in my mind for Villa and also for the following weeks," said Farke.

"Sometimes when you think you have reached a turning point there's another sucker punch.

"It's football, the same as life, so we have to handle it and we will handle it and I hope that we find out what is the reason for all these problems with his groin.

"I would say this has been something he has had to handle not just for this season but for the last few months. We don't have the answer at this moment. But the hope is with seeing some specialists and consultants we can find the answer, because we definitely need him."