Ashley Barnes has revealed he contemplated retirement during his lengthy injury absence at Norwich City.

The 35-year-old has not kicked a ball for City since their heavy play-off second-leg defeat to Leeds United in May, missing the entirety of pre-season and the opening 14 games of the Championship campaign with a complicated calf injury.

Barnes underwent surgery after injections failed to cure the issue but suffered a setback in October that has kept him out longer than initially planned.

Those setbacks and the whole recovery process left Barnes considering whether to call time on his professional career.

“There has been times where I’ve thought ‘do I just hang my boots up and say goodbye to the game?’. That’s how frustrated I probably got because I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

“That was the hardest thing for me personally,” Barnes told Talk Norwich City. “Now I’m on a good path and since I’ve got that positive streak back, I just want to come back and help.

“I just want to get back in and help the lads, especially because we’ve got so many injuries. It can happen. This is football, and injuries are part of it.”

Despite the challenging spell out due to injury, Barnes is hopeful that he is nearing a return to action for the Canaries.

With City suffering from a lengthy injury list that includes first-choice number nine Josh Sargent and key midfield duo Marcelino Nunez and Anis Ben Slimane, Barnes is hoping to help lighten the load after the upcoming November international break.

“It’s been a sticky one. I kept getting told it was going to be after the first international break, then it was the second one, and it just kept going,” Barnes said.

Ashley Barnes has had a watching brief under Johannes Hoff Thorup so far.Ashley Barnes has had a watching brief under Johannes Hoff Thorup so far. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) “Unfortunately, it’s been one thing after another. I came back to training for two days and had a setback.

“[Tuesday] was the first day back on the grass and it was positive. It’s really good news for myself and for the lads at the club. Hopefully I’ll start to get integrated with the lads throughout this international break.

“After the international break, hopefully I can put on a shirt for the first time this season.”