Chris Lakey John Kennedy may have played his last game for Norwich City after manager Glenn Roeder confirmed the on-loan defender has a torn cartilage. While the injury isn't as bad as was first feared, it means that Kennedy will return to Celtic before having surgery on his knee before his loan spell ends on January 1.

Chris Lakey

John Kennedy may have played his last game for Norwich City after manager Glenn Roeder confirmed the on-loan defender has a torn cartilage.

While the injury isn't as bad as was first feared, it means that Kennedy will return to Celtic before having surgery on his knee before his loan spell ends on January 1.

And with Roeder anticipating an absence of between three and five weeks, it could mean that he won't be returning for the second half of the season.

The City boss admitted on Friday that his squad was too small for him to contemplate carrying Kennedy until he was fit to play again.

“I will need to see what the opinion is of the surgeon that does the operation and obviously most importantly what (Celtic manager) Gordon Strachan's views will be - whether he will want to take the player back after loaning him here for half a season, which is his agreement,” said Roeder. “If he wants to let us have him, if he was fully fit, I will decide. But we couldn't have him out injured for too long, not with the squad so small.”

Roeder will replace Kennedy with either Elliott Omozusi or Adam Drury for Saturday's game against fellow strugglers Charlton.

Leroy Lita is back after missing the 2-0 defeat against his parent club Reading last weekend, and that means Darel Russell may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Wes Hoolahan is in line for a recall to play in the role just behind Lita, and that means someone else has to drop to the bench - with Mark Fotheringham most likely.

Midfielder Matty Pattison is expected to recover from a dead leg, while Antoine Sibierski (foot) is out, but could be back for the Boxing Day game at Crystal Palace.

However, Roeder said that “three or four” players had been receiving treatment this week and were due to train on Friday morning for the first time.