Former Canaries star Robert Snodgrass has paid tribute to the man management of Steve Bruce as he struggled with the emotional impact of a career-threatening injury.
Snodgrass spent two years at Carrow Road but after City were relegated in 2014, made the switch to Premier League Hull City for a reported £7m.
But the move quickly turned into a disaster - just 30 minutes into his debut he twisted awkwardly, dislocating his kneecap and damaging assorted ligaments.
Following surgery, the Scottish winger then had to get through a long rehabilitation programme – and it is was during the dark days that former Canaries defender Bruce, then boss at Hull, came to the rescue.
“I was out for 16 months,” said Snodgrass, who was voted City’s Player of the Season in 2014.
“I dislocated my knee and I did every single part of my knee.
“I remember the surgeons saying, ‘if you get back to any sort of level I would be surprised. I felt as if I am not coming back.
“I was at that stage in my life where I felt, you know what, I am not going to let this be any fault of my own, and I need to give everything to try and come back.
“I felt as if four to six months in I didn’t want to do my rehab. It kept happening, the same stuff every day. I had just signed, it happened on my dad’s 70th birthday, we organised a surprise party for him, 20 minutes in to the game my knee just bust.”
Snodgrass, speaking on The Lockdown Tactics podcast added: “It was four to six months into the injury. Steve Bruce called me into his office, he was like a father figure. I felt like my head was falling off.
“He sat me own and said, ‘listen, it’s fine, it is okay to not be okay. Don’t worry about it. Go back to Scotland, go and do your rehab at home, go see your family. You’ve not done that, you’ve been down here for years.
“And I just felt at that moment, I don’t think I would have come back to any sort of level if I had not had that moment. I had that month away and he was terrific - always on the phone asking how I was.”
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