CHRIS LAKEY Canaries boss Peter Grant is prepared to raid former club Celtic to bring striker Derek Riordan to Carrow Road - if the player becomes available.

CHRIS LAKEY

Canaries boss Peter Grant is prepared to raid former club Celtic to bring striker Derek Riordan to Carrow Road - if the player becomes available.

The 23-year-old Scotland international has made just four appearances for Celtic since moving from Hibernian in the summer - a situation Grant is keeping tabs on.

“I like him and I'd definitely be interested if Celtic said he was available,” said Grant. “I haven't made official contact with Gordon Strachan but I really liked Derek at Hibs and came up to watch him a few times when Tony Mowbray was in charge at Easter Road.

“The Hibs team shapes up the way I like Norwich to play and Riordan would fit in the way he did at Easter Road.

“I don't believe that Derek's become a bad player overnight because he can't get a game at Celtic Park. There are reasons to explain that away. If a manager has a team who are 15 points in front it might be that the player ahead of Derek in the queue for a game can't be left out.

“It doesn't mean Riordan's not worthy of a place in the side. It means the man who's already in the team's doing his job properly.

“Derek has great qualities and I'd have to be stupid not to be interested if Celtic wanted to enter into any kind of deal.”

Riordan - who signed a three-year contract with Celtic in June, with the option of a further year - has already voiced his frustrations at his three minutes of SPL action and one CIS Insurance Cup start, admitting he might have to consider his options when the transfer window opens.

“I will have to consider doing something in January if I am not playing,” he said. Riordan moved to Celtic Park on the back of three seasons as top scorer at Easter Road, but has yet to score for Gordon Strachan's runaway leaders.