De Laet Learning At Norwich

Reds defender Ritchie De Laet is currently on loan at Norwich and was ineligible for Saturday’s fixture. He provided United Review with the lowdown on the switch and his new team-mates.

How’s the move to Norwich going, it’s not your first loan?
It’s different to being in the big city as it’s a bit quieter down here but it’s brilliant. It’s the only team in the neighbourhood which is very good.

Have you settled in well?
Yes, the club found me a place to live and have been fantastic as they are really looking after me.

What’s it like playing under Paul Lambert?
He’s brilliant – all the training sessions are high intensity. He knows what he wants from the players and what to expect from us. It’s all about what comes over onto the pitch on a Saturday and it’s been going well.

Do you prefer to play in the middle as you have been doing?
I'm playing at centre-back - obviously I don't care where I play. I can play anywhere in defence. As long as I play, I'm happy.

Obviously you were not able to feature in Saturday's game..
I would have loved to play against United. Everyone wants to play at Old Trafford, as it’s one of the best grounds in the world, even if it's not with United. I'd hoped the lads did well and obviously I've got to support Norwich this season. In the long run, I hope United win the championship again.

Which City players are worth keeping an eye on? There’s a couple of bruising strikers..
Grant Holt has been in all the leagues now and came up with Norwich from League One. He knows all the tricks in the book and I'm sure he can be a handful for anybody. It's the same thing with Steve Morison, he came through the leagues and works hard - as you could see in the Wales-England match. He gave John Terry and Gary Cahill real problems and he did the same thing to Cahill when we played Bolton.

Who else is eager to shine on the big stage?
Wes Hoolahan has unbelievable feet and the lads who have come in, like Anthony Pilkington and Elliott Bennett, are so quick and tricky as well. Even the lads who have been here a while, like David Fox, who was at United, has an unbelievable passing range and Andrew Crofts played for Wales against England and is a really hard worker. We’ve also got good goalkeepers – John Ruddy is more experienced but Declan Rudd had an Under-21 call-up the other week and is a promising youngster as well.

Are the Norwich players hungry to show they belong to play in games like the one at United?
Definitely. You never know, hopefully we can stay in the league, but it’ll be the first time at Old Trafford for some of the players and it might be the last. Hopefully that’s not the case but it’s why they will just want to give their all. Like you say, they are all hungry for good performances.

What do you make of United's start to the season?
I've seen a lot of games. I was speaking to Chris Eagles at Bolton as well and we just said the same thing - United look frightening at the moment don't they? They look like everything that comes in their way, they just overcome it and win 3-0, 4-0 or 5-0. The way they are going is unbelievable.

How are things looking on the international front?
I'm 22 now so I can't play for the Under-21s anymore. Hopefully, I can keep my performances up and do well for Norwich and get noticed by the national team. They're gelling together now but obviously it's going to be hard with the Euros as it was a really tough group. But hopefully we can give it a go in the World Cup - we're with Scotland and Wales, as well as Croatia and Montenegro.