Paddy Davitt Norwich boss Bryan Gunn is poised to complete an extended loan deal for Reading hitman David Mooney. The 24-year-old is due to return to the Royals after Norwich's next Championship test against Sheffield Wednesday - but Reading chief Steve Coppell hinted he is prepared to sanction a longer stay.

Paddy Davitt

Norwich City boss Bryan Gunn is poised to complete an extended loan deal for Reading hitman David Mooney.

The 24-year-old is due to return to the Royals after Norwich's next Championship test against Sheffield Wednesday - but Reading chief Steve Coppell hinted yesterday he is now prepared to sanction a longer Carrow Road stay.

Mooney's availability for City's crunch Championship run-in over the final month will come as a major boost after Gunn revealed fellow striker Carl Cort must undergo foot surgery.

Cort had been an ever-present since Gunn took permanent charge but the injury-jinxed frontman is to visit a specialist after a fortnight on the sidelines.

Gunn refused to put a timeline on the 31-year-old's return with the former Newcastle striker's short term contract due to expire in the summer.

“Carl is visiting a specialist in London to remove a bursa from his foot,” said the Canary chief. “It's an injury more commonly found in athletics and other sports rather than football - it's not a break but it is painful and it requires an operation. Once he returns from his operation we'll be in a position to assess how long Carl will be out of action.”

Cort had scored once in 13 appearances after linking up with ex-Toon boss Glenn Roeder in December in a bid to resurrect a domestic career blighted by serious knee and ankle injuries.

Mooney has led the line in Cort's recent absence with the Dubliner's vital goals against Cardiff and Plymouth bolstering City's survival push.

Mooney has yet to make his Reading league debut following a summer switch from Cork but Coppell is ruling out any late squad makeover ahead of tomorrow's final emergency loan deadline having recruited old boys Glen Little and Dave Kitson.

“I look at the squad we have and sooner or later you need to stop collecting players that might just give you comfort or end up sitting in the stand,” he said. “The squad is good enough to take us where we want to go. We have sufficient depth, we're not vulnerable and now it's time to show if we're going to be good enough.”

Mooney backed Gunn's bid to extend his successful initial stint after sinking Plymouth in City's last home game.

“Reading have brought back Dave Kitson now so I don't think there is much hope for me playing there towards the end of the season,” he said. “But we have to wait and see what happens. I would stay but it's not for me to decide. It's for the powers at Reading to decide what happens. My future is in their hands.”

A Football League spokesman confirmed City can extend Mooney's stay for the final month of the season beyond tomorrow's 5pm deadline as the Irish striker is already at the club.