Grant Hanley has revealed how much he loves being a Norwich City player, as he tries to continue showing leadership despite not being able to help Daniel Farke’s team on the pitch recently.

The Scotland international is hoping to be back in Premier League contention during the next few weeks, having been out since the end of August as he needed groin and hernia surgery.

That follows a thigh injury ruining the first half of the last campaign, remaining on the fringes during the second half of City's title-winning season after returning to fitness.

"I don't feel as much of a captain because in my eyes the captain plays every week," Hanley admitted. "But that wasn't to be last season for one reason or another: being injured, the lads doing well and struggling to get back in the team - getting sent off after 15 minutes against Portsmouth (in the FA Cup) never helped me!

"But I think it's important, to be able to be a captain, you need to be able to look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture will always be the club, nobody is bigger than the club.

"That makes it easier because I love being here and I love the club, I love coming into training every day and I love everything about it."

Hanley was signed from Newcastle in August 2017 for a reported £3.5million and went on to be runner-up in the Player of the Season voting behind James Maddison at the end of his first campaign, earning the captaincy ahead of 2018-19.

"Obviously it was brilliant for me, coming in from somewhere where I hadn't really played (Newcastle) and wasn't enjoying myself, to coming here and really enjoying football again," added Hanley, who turned 28 yesterday.

"To be appreciated by the fans was massive for me, the confidence boost was huge, it's what you want - and to be honest, I couldn't believe my luck coming here and it going so well.

"Then getting named captain it was massive for me, it's something I want to be, I want to be a leader, I think that's probably one of my strongest attributes.

"It's what I can bring for the young lads and what I can bring for everybody in terms of trying to pull everybody in the right direction."