Kieran Dowell is confident he will become an established force for Norwich City - but is also aware he may have to be patient to find his best form after three months out injured.

The summer signing's early progress was thwarted by ankle surgery after just his third appearance back in September. He has returned to action during the last four games though, coming on at half-time and impressing during the 2-1 win at Reading and making two brief cameos either side of starting the 1-0 loss at Watford on Boxing Day.

"I want to start as many games as I can and help the team," said the attacking midfielder. "As long as I'm playing well, I think I will get back into the team, but you have got to do it slowly because I've got to get my fitness up and contribute to the team.

"So I will need to get minutes on the pitch first and then work my way back into a starting position."

The Everton academy product explained that head coach Daniel Farke had kept him firmly involved while injured, asking him to keep attending meetings such as post-match debriefs so that he could learn City's methods.

"It was really helpful because coming to a new club is different. Every coach has a different style of play," said Dowell, speaking to the Canaries' OTBC matchday programme.

"I was almost like a student for a few weeks and I was able to learn from a different angle in a way, rather than hands on, and being in those meetings it gave me a great opportunity to do that."

The 23-year-old was capped throughout the youth age groups by England, winning the U20 World Cup in 2017, and joined Norwich permanently after four Championship loan spells and just five appearances for Everton.

On whether he feels settled in Norfolk yet, he said: "I said to my family when I first signed that I would probably realise that at the end of the season when I wasn't going back to Everton.

"But it feels like I'm part of the team much more and that we're all pulling in the same direction. I'm really happy that I signed here."

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One of those loans was with Sheffield United in 2019, scoring twice in 16 games to help the Blades gain automatic promotion as runners-up behind Norwich.

"Team spirit is what you need to get out of this league and we had that in abundance at Sheffield United, that togetherness within the group. It's very similar in the way it's been here at Norwich," he added.

"It's in different ways because at Sheffield United it was all about getting ahead and then staying ahead for the rest of the game, whereas at Norwich we have got teams that want to sit off us and the goals are going to come later because of that.

"But it is the same togetherness, the same team spirit that you need to get those three points at the weekend."

MORE: Farke hopes Dowell can add a touch of class