Norwich striker Aaron Wilbraham confident squad rotation means turn will come

Norwich City's Aaron Wilbraham scores against Fulham on Saturday (AP)

The Norwich striker Aaron Wilbraham has revealed he has turned down several loan offers throughout the season to stay and fight for a first-team place at Carrow Road.

The 32-year-old has struggled to break into Paul Lambert's side with the form of fellow frontmen Simeon Jackson, Steve Morison and Grant Holt. But the former MK Dons forward, who scored his first goal of the season in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Fulham, told a local paper that he remains a part of the Norwich first-team squad.

"I've always felt part of the team," he said. "I have never felt not involved and that's one thing the manager is good at. He keeps everyone involved and no one feels out of it, so I've never really wanted to leave once."

Wilbraham also admitted he was not the only player given the chance to leave Norfolk in search of regular football but the whole squad wants to remain part of the feel-good factor at Norwich.

He said: "There have been [offers from] teams throughout the season, like there have been for a few other players, but you want to stay in the Premier League and you want to do well. Everyone is disappointed [not to play] but everyone sticks together and that is something special that we've got here, that we can do that. Everyone who doesn't play is always wishing the lads who are starting well and I think we've got a really good togetherness at this club.

"The manager has always said that he has wanted me to stay," Wilbraham added. "That's the main thing when people come in for you, and I have just wanted to do the best I can."

The Norwich manager has also proved very adept at rotating his squad, with 25 players used so far this season. "[Squad rotation] is what the manager is good at," Wilbraham said. "It's not just me who is in this position of having to wait for my chances."