Grant Hanley is ‘worth his weight in gold’ insists former Norwich City boss Paul Lambert, who worked with the Canaries’ latest recruit at Blackburn.

Hanley was a rock at the heart of the Rovers’ defence under Lambert during the 2015/16 Championship season that saw him win Blackburn’s player-of-the-season.

The 25-year-old agreed a four-year deal to join Norwich on Wednesday after moving from Premier League Newcastle for an undisclosed fee, but it was at Ewood Park where he burst onto the scene.

The Scottish international was a key figure under Lambert in a side that kept 15 clean sheets during the City Hall of Famer’s one season in charge.

“When you’ve been at a football club a long time, and when you’re one of the ones who have come through the ranks, then you don’t get the same accolades as somebody who comes in and plays about three games,” said Lambert, speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph in May 2016. “People always think the guy who has played three games is more important than the guy who has played 300 games. I don’t think it should be overlooked how important Grant Hanley is to this football club.

“He’s massive and thank God he’s been part of the Blackburn team since I’ve been here because he’s been a colossus at the back, along with Shane Duffy.

“He’s one of a dying breed. People like him tend to get overlooked because they’ve been at the club for years. It’s like, ‘it’s Grant Hanley, it’s Grant Hanley, it’s Grant Hanley’. Somebody who comes in and plays three, four or five games tend to get more accolades. From my own point of view people like him are worth their weight in gold. Sometimes they become an absolute rock for you on and off the pitch and he’s certainly been that. He’s been absolutely fantastic for me.”