Canaries striker Josip Drmic admits losing the chance to play at the European Championship has hit him hard.

Euro 2020 was postponed for a year in March, just days after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Drmic had been desperate to earn a place in the Swiss squad but had been warned by international boss Vladimir Petkovic that he had to feature regularly for City. Now, both opportunities have been taken away because of the world health crisis.

“I am very disappointed that I can’t go to the Euros,” said the 27-year-old, who joined City from Borussia Mönchengladbach last summer. “I felt ready to play.

“If I’m honest, the Euros were a big, big goal for me. I wanted to be there, and I wanted to play. I have played in the Champions League, I have played in the Europa League, I have played in the World Cup, just not the Euros.”

“It would be great to get back and play in the FA Cup and Premier League for Norwich, but I also have respect for this return. It has to be healthy for the players.

“We have had a long break, so we need a very good pre-season. You also need a few games, so to start a small season, playing every three or four days, will be very hard.

“What can I say? I want this feeling, I want this competition. But sometimes you have to be smart and think about whether it’s healthy to play a small season as quickly as possible.”

Drmic, speaking to Betway Insider, added: “I have never been sitting at home like this for so long, but now I have adapted to the situation. I know that it is not just for me, it’s the same for all the lads and all the people. We have a plan from the club, telling us what to do. We’ve got the GPS, we’ve got drills. We have to keep moving, we have to train and we have to be ready, because we don’t know what the situation brings. It’s important to do that stuff. For me the uncertainty is the hardest element. In pre-season, we will be prepared for everything coming into the season, and now we are waiting to see what’s happening. It is very important that we have that plan to do some training.”

Asked what he missed most, Drmic said: “I can go and run, I can do a personal body session or something like that, but I miss playing matches. I miss that feeling with the ball. I miss shooting at Tim Krul and scoring a goal.”