Michael Nelson may be out for up to five weeks after damaging ankle ligaments - but he is still not sure how he was injured.The former Hartlepool United centre-back looked to be settling extremely well into Paul Lambert's mean Norwich City defence that went three-and-a-half games without conceding a goal before Nelson had to be taken off after an hour of the Canaries' 2-1 defeat at MK Dons at the start of last week.

Michael Nelson may be out for up to five weeks after damaging ankle ligaments - but he is still not sure how he was injured.

The former Hartlepool United centre-back looked to be settling extremely well into Paul Lambert's mean Norwich City defence that went three-and-a-half games without conceding a goal before Nelson had to be taken off after an hour of the Canaries' 2-1 defeat at MK Dons at the start of last week.

Now the 29-year-old has a plastic boot to protect his left ankle and is likely to be out of action until the middle of October at the earliest.

Nelson said: “I'm not entirely sure (how it happened). The way I explained it to the physio and the consultant was there was no twist to it. It was just the pressure of the foot going down when I planted it.

“So it was a bit of strange one but hopefully there's not too much damage and it'll heal pretty quickly.

“I got it scanned straight after the game and they thought it showed up a slight tear in one of my ligaments, but the physios were a bit concerned so we got it scanned again and it's come back just a little bit worse than we first thought.

“So I've got a nice big air cast on it for the next seven to 10 days and it's just a case of seeing how well it settles.

“To be honest, before I got the results of my scan I went in this morning and did a little bit of light training and it's probably the best it's felt since I did it. So it's healed a bit by itself and now I've got this on it's probably going to speed it up.

“I've been quite lucky (with injuries), touch wood, and the injuries I have had I've always come back quicker than the predicted time. I've tended to heal pretty quick.

“But every injury is different, so it'll be a case of getting the boot off and seeing the state of the ankle then.”

Nelson was one of three injuries picked up at Milton Keynes and although Adam Drury returned to first team action against Charlton at the weekend, Stephen Hughes' ankle nerve problem is expected to keep the Scot out for a few more weeks.

“Hughesy's looked a bit of a bad one after he did it,” said Nelson. “He looked in a lot of pain on the pitch and then when I came off with mine I went and saw him and he was struggling to be honest.

“It looked like it could've been a long one but pleasingly he's reacted well and is on the mend now, and hopefully back in training soon.”

Nelson, who has made five appearances and scored one goal since joining City as a free agent in the summer, admits he is not the best spectator - but was glad his team-mates showed their character in the stirring 2-2 comeback draw against the Addicks.

Nelson said: “You always want to be out there and involved. There's nothing you can do sitting and watching.

“Even if you're on the bench you've got a chance of coming on and making an impact, but when you're in the stands and you are not training with the lads, you feel a little bit out of it.

“The lads went 2-0 down on Saturday and it would've been quite easy to just fold off the back of the MK Dons defeat. But they showed the character and strength they've got. The lads don't give up, they go right to the end and if we're going to be successful, that is what we're going to need.”

He added: “It is frustrating. I was starting to get settled in with the other three lads at the back. I thought we were starting to build quite a solid foundation and keeping clean sheets. I was starting to enjoy it, getting in and playing regular.

“Obviously this is a bit of a setback, but it's just a case of making sure I maintain my fitness so that when I do get chucked back into training I'm not behind the rest of the lads, so I can just come back in and if I do get back in the side, I can keep my place and kick on again.”

Michael Spillane stepped into Nelson's boots alongside Jens Berthel Askou on Saturday and looks set to do so again at Gillingham this weekend.

“Michael's played there before, he's a good player,” said Nelson. “He is only young but he's got a good group of lads around him, he learns pretty quick and I don't think he looks out of place at all. I think he'll do a very good job in there.”