Norwich City's Leon Barnett hungry for second chance
Last updated on .From the section Football
Norwich City defender Leon Barnett is determined to prove his worth in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old failed to establish himself in the top flight when he made 11 appearances for West Brom in the 2008-09 campaign.
Three years later he is getting a second opportunity with the Canaries.
"I'm as hungry as ever, just to have another chance to play back in the Premier League is an honour for me," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"To be with these boys is a massive honour, everybody's excited and I can't wait to get going."
Barnett's return to the Premier League co-incides with his bid to re-establish himself in the City side after a five-month lay-off with a hamstring injury.
The centre-half was a mainstay in Paul Lambert's back four last season until his setback in February, and he continued his rehabilitation with a 63-minute run-out in Tuesday's 1-0 friendly loss to Crystal Palace.
"It's been a long time and it's good to be back on the green grass playing with the boys," he explained.
"I'm just trying to get as many minutes as I can before the first game against Wigan."
Zak Whitbread, who stepped up to replace the former Luton defender last term, Ritchie de Laet, on loan from Manchester United, and Elliott Ward will provide Barnett's competition for one of the central defensive berths.
"The manager picks the team and whatever he goes with you've got to try and break in," he added.
"Having Premier League experience probably does help me a bit.
"The gaffer's obviously played in the Champions League and hopefully they can learn a lot from him."
