The Canaries were today anxiously waiting to find out the extent of defender John Kennedy's knee injury after he left Reading on crutches. The 25-year-old centre-half had to be helped from the field in the last minute of City's 2-0 Championship defeat at the Madejski Stadium after jarring his left knee.

The Canaries were today anxiously waiting to find out the extent of defender John Kennedy's knee injury after he left Reading on crutches.

The 25-year-old centre-half had to be helped from the field in the last minute of City's 2-0 Championship defeat at the Madejski Stadium after jarring his left knee.

With summer signing Dejan Stefanovic out for the rest of the season after a knee operation, manager Glenn Roeder was hoping to extend Kennedy's loan from Celtic in January.

But with three games coming up in the space of nine days in the rest of December, Kennedy's involvement must be in serious doubt.

“He's just shaken his knee up, the knee he's had problems with in the past,” said Roeder.

“We are talking barely half an hour since the final whistle so until it calms down we won't be able to really assess the damage.

“Only someone like John Kennedy with his mental strength has been able to return to play football. The injury he sustained playing for Celtic was hideous, horrible - players don't come back from that.

“He's playing because he's made of sterner stuff and if he's come off as quickly as he did he's obviously done some sort of damage. I just hope for his sake it's not too much because he's a magnificent human being.”

City also lost Matty Pattison early in the second half of a defeat that left them in 20th place, just five points clear of the bottom three.

“Pattison had a dead leg that stiffened up and he was starting to carry that leg,” said Roeder.

Antoine Sibierski is still sidelined by a foot injury but fellow loan striker Leroy Lita will be available again for the home game against Charlton next Saturday after being ineligible to play against his own club, Reading.