Oxborough vows to return from injury as his former City keeper colleague signs for Salford

Norwich City goalkeeper Aston Oxborough has vowed to fight back from his injury blow, after having surgery on the Achilles tendon which cost him the chance to impress during a League Two loan.

The 22-year-old kicked his first team career into gear last season when playing a major role in Wealdstone winning the National League South title, returning to complete the loan after a couple of months out with a fractured thumb.

The Norfolk-born keeper was then reportedly on the verge of signing for Salford City, only to rupture an Achilles while training with the fourth tier club ahead of a potential season-long switch, which is expected to keep him sidelined for months.

Oxborough signed fresh terms with the Canaries earlier this year, extending his contract until 2022, with the option for a further year. He is yet to make his senior debut but has featured for the first team during pre-season and was named on the bench for three Championship games during 2018-19, when a wrist injury disrupted his progress.

Posting a photo from his hospital bed, Oxborough tweeted: “To have an opportunity taken away from you, that you’ve been waiting on for so long, is hard to take to say the least. I’ll be back.”

His misfortune appears to have given an opportunity to a former City colleague however, with Nick Hayes revealing he has signed for Salford.

The Essex-born former Ipswich Town academy keeper joined Norwich in February 2019, featuring briefly for Lowestoft Town on loan in Southern Premier Division Central.

He only made one appearance at under-23 level but continued to train with the first team and was mixing it with Tim Krul and Michael McGovern during pre-season last year, before disappearing from view. The former England Under-17 international was then included on the list of players released by the Canaries at the end of last season.

The 21-year-old has now surfaced at Salford and started a friendly against League One side Lincoln City on Tuesday, starting and keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win for Graham Alexander’s side.

Nick Hayes, back row, left, alongside fellow academy keeper Aston Oxborough during Norwich City's promotion celebrations at Carrow Road in 2019 Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd

After that game, Hayes posted on Instagram to say: “Delighted to finally announce that I have signed for @SalfordCityFC, good to get a clean sheet and another 90 mins vs Lincoln yesterday too.”

Norwich currently have former Arsenal trainee Daniel Barden and former Hamilton Academical trainee Jon McCracken as their front-line options at under-23 level, with Archie Mair set to spend the season on loan with King’s Lynn Town in the National League.