Norwich City: Johannes Hoff Thorup drops positive Marcelino Nunez update ahead of Plymouth Argyle clash | OneFootball

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has provided an update on the fitness of midfielder Marcelino Nunez.

Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup has confirmed that midfielder Marcelino Nunez has returned to training after over a month out with a hamstring injury in what is a positive update despite the news that Tuesday's game against Plymouth Argyle will come "too soon" for him to feature.

Nunez was a regular for Norwich in the early stages of the season, and he enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, scoring two goals in his first 12 appearances in all competitions, matching his goal tally from the entirety of last term.

However, Nunez has been sidelined since he was forced off in the first half of the 1-1 draw at Stoke City in mid-October, and his absence has coincided with a significant decline in form for the Canaries.

Norwich have not registered a victory since Nunez sustained his injury, and they are without a win in their last seven games, but they did end a run of three consecutive defeats with a 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

The Canaries currently sit 13th in the table, just four points clear of the relegation zone and seven points from the play-off places, and they are back in action when they host Plymouth Argyle at Carrow Road on Tuesday night.

Johannes Hoff Thorup provides Marcelino Nunez injury update

Thorup delivered an encouraging update on Nunez's fitness on Monday afternoon, revealing that the Chile international has now returned to training, but he admitted that the game against Plymouth would come too soon for him.

"Marcelino (Núñez) has been back in training today, and had a big smile on his face. Tomorrow is too soon for his return though," Thorup told the club's official website.

The Dane also confirmed that goalkeeper Angus Gunn, midfielder Liam Gibbs and winger Onel Hernandez would all be available for the visit of Wayne Rooney's side after making their returns from injury against West Brom on Saturday.

"Physically, (Angus) Gunn, (Liam) Gibbs and (Onel) Hernández are all fine after Saturday," Thorup said.

"It was part of the plan for Onel to be available for around half an hour and Gibbs slightly less.

"Gibbs is a fighter and can cover lots of positions for us.

"It was positive for the group that we could change the momentum.

"It obviously wasn't ideal for Onel to play 90 minutes for Cuba and we did not recommend that but that was out of our control and it's important minutes for him."

However, there was less positive news on the fitness of defender Jose Cordoba, who missed the game at The Hawthorns due to injury, and Thorup revealed that he expects him to be out until early December.

"There is some inflammation and he will be out for at least three games. It's different to what it was against Leeds. We hope to have him back for Queens Park Rangers," Thorup explained.

Norwich will be boosted by the return of captain Kenny McLean on Tuesday night after he completed a four-game ban following his red card in the 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough last month, and Thorup is delighted to be able to call upon the 32-year-old again.

"Just to have Kenny back in the group is great, he is a natural leader, he is one of the best midfielders in the league, I don't think I could find midfielders in the league who are a better fit for us than him," Thorup said.

"With him it's also the communication, the small adjustments, winning fouls, talking to team-mates, there is all this experience beside the technical and tactical stuff, all the things you don't see."

Marcelino Nunez return is perfect timing for Norwich City

While Nunez will not be available for the game against Plymouth on Tuesday night, news of his return to training is a huge boost for Norwich.

It is no coincidence that the Canaries have struggled since Nunez picked up his injury at Stoke last month, and Thorup will be desperate to have him back in the team as soon as possible, but he must take a cautious approach with the midfielder to avoid any setbacks in his recovery.

After a seven-game winless run, Norwich have a big opportunity to get their season back on track as they face four struggling sides in Plymouth, Luton Town, Queens Park Rangers and Portsmouth in the coming weeks, and they will certainly be expecting a positive return from those fixtures.

It has been a challenging period for the Canaries, and they have plenty of work to do if they are to close the gap to the play-off places, but with the injury crisis starting to ease, Thorup will be hopeful that his side can rediscover their strong early season form.