The Canaries kick off their warm-up campaign for what will be a first taste of top-flight action in six years at local Ridgeons Football League side Gorleston Town on Saturday, before heading out to Germany for a short training camp and two low-key games. On-loan Manchester United defender De Laet, 22, is one of half-a-dozen new faces expected to feature at Emerald Park. After stints in the Championship with Sheffield United, Preston and then Portsmouth, the young Belgian intends to make the most of his Premier League opportunities with Norwich rather than worry about what might happen when he eventually returns to Old Trafford. "Last season was difficult having loan spells at three different clubs. I just want to play football," de Laet said. "You learn a lot in training with the best players in the world at United, but you also want to get experience under your belt. "First and foremost, I want to do well for Norwich and play as well as I can. Whatever happens at United, happens - if not, it is not to be, is it?" De Laet added: "We are going to get quality players against you every week in the Premier League, and although you will make mistakes, you have to learn from that." The former Royal Antwerp youngster jumped at the chance to sign up to Paul Lambert's summer recruitment drive as he bolsters a squad which secured successive promotions from League One to join England's elite. "United rang me and said Norwich were interested, and I was not going to wait for a second chance to come up for the Premier League," de Laet added. "Norwich is a club with great traditions and winning back-to-back promotions is something special. "They showed all season long last time they are good players - not every team comes out of the Championship playing football." De Laet joined the Red Devils from Stoke in January 2009, making his United first-team debut against Hull on the final day of the 2008/2009 season. Mainly a centre-back, de Laet can also play on the left. Lambert has no doubts about the youngster's potential. "Ritchie has been at Man United so I don't think it comes much bigger than that," said the Norwich boss. "He is only a young player, but there won't be many people who outrun him, that is for sure. "Manchester United have been kind enough to let him come down, which I am grateful for. "He has played for their first team so I am pretty sure if he can do that he must be doing something right." Lambert is close to getting his 25-man squad in order, having also brought in forwards James Vaughan and Steve Morison, wingers Anthony Pilkington and Elliott Bennett, as well as combative midfielder Bradley Johnson. The Norwich manager would also like to sign some more defensive cover, although the return to fitness of former West Brom centre-half Leon Barnett from a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the promotion run-in could see those targets change. "Leon is raring to go, he has worked really hard to get over that injury and the last few days he has been right on it," said the Norwich manager. "It was a big loss losing him when we did, he is totally fine now and allied with Ritchie, we have got four top centre-halves."
