David Cuffley Manager Bryan Gunn fully expects striker Jamie Cureton to be battling for a recall to first team football when Norwich City return to training later this month.

David Cuffley

Manager Bryan Gunn fully expects striker Jamie Cureton to be battling for a recall to first team football when Norwich City return to training later this month.

Cureton became something of a forgotten man at the end of last season, when he failed to appear in the final 11 matches of the Canaries' unsuccessful bid to escape relegation from the Championship.

After Gunn recalled him from a loan spell at Barnsley, he scored twice before making his 100th appearance for the club in the 2-1 home defeat by Coventry, but the veteran with more than 200 career goals then slipped down the senior rankings behind new faces - loan trio Alan Gow, David Mooney and Alan Lee and non-League signing Cody McDonald.

Cureton was back on the substitutes' bench for the last two games, against former club Reading and Charlton, but was not used as City slipped into League One.

He will be 34 in August but has one year left on the three-year contract he signed when he returned to Carrow Road from Colchester two years ago.

Said Gunn: “All our contracted players have been in for a chat.

“Jamie's under contract and I know he's keen to come back and impress in pre-season training.

“He has already been in at Colney during the break and has been doing some training.”

The future of midfielder Simon Lappin and goalkeeper Stuart Nelson, both out of contract at the end of June, should become clear in the next few days.

Nelson has already appeared on the PFA transfer directory of available players but Gunn said it was a technical requirement to submit names of players where a formal contract offer had yet to be made. There is still time to do so.

The 27-year-old 'keeper was set to see a specialist today as he continues his recovery from an ankle operation, but further talks are planned with both Nelson and Lappin.

“They are Norwich City players until June 30 when we still have the opportunity to offer them a new deal should we wish,” said Gunn.

Three of City's contracted senior players are continuing their recovery from injury. with Wes Hoolahan (ankle), Adam Drury (knee) and Dejan Stefanovic (knee) all spending time at Colney on rehabilitation work, before the squad report back for training on June 29.

Two of City's reported transfer targets are set to become available with the departure of 30-year-old Spanish defender Miguel Angel Llera from MK Dons confirmed yesterday, and Hartlepool defender Michael Nelson, 29, believed to be moving on this week.

But Gunn said there were no arrivals or departures imminent.

He said: “It's all quiet on the Eastern front. There is not a lot happening. A lot of people are still on holiday, lots of phone calls are going in but there is nothing to announce.”