Canaries’ loan duo are in Farke’s first-team plans for next season

Ben Godfrey featured prominently during pre-season for City before joining Shrewsbury on loan. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd (Image: ©Focus Images Limitedwww.focus-images.co.uk+447814 482222)

The Canaries youngsters have both extended their League One loans until the end of the campaign recently, midfielder Godfrey with Shrewsbury and goalkeeper Matthews with Plymouth.

'Both really good guys, really good players,' City's boss said of those extensions. 'It's tricky to find a good balance because you know they are good players, you want to have them in the squad but also it's important for young players to get game minutes.

'They are getting many minutes, it's good for their development and their self-confidence. It is not as if we want to be like a social institute, we want to get the benefits out of this, for them to return in the summer in a good rhythm, full of self-confidence, with a lot of game-time and with experience.

'We want them to be better players and in my thoughts Remi and Ben are pretty important.'

Former York City midfielder Godfrey, 19, has made 26 appearances for promotion hopefuls Shrewsbury so far – scoring his first goal for the Shrews on Saturday, a thumping 30-yard winner at Southend.

Gorleston-born Matthews, 23, had impressed with eight appearances on an emergency basis to help lift Argyle out of the relegation zone, keeping his fifth clean sheet in his ninth appearance in a 1-0 home win over Walsall on New Year's Day after extending his loan.

Towering defender Sean Raggett is on a similar path to Godfrey and Matthews, having been signed from Lincoln in August before being loaned back to the League Two side.

MORE: Lincoln boss full of praise for Raggett as defender returns to Norwich

The 24-year-old is now back with City but with League One clubs, including Bradford City, reportedly keen to take Raggett for the second half of the campaign – and players only allowed to play for two clubs in a season – Farke knows a Lincoln loan return will be his only option if he decides to play the former Gillingham trainee during January.

'It's always good when other clubs are interested in our players because it's a good sign that there is a lot potential and that they are good players – because otherwise we would have a problem if no-one is interested in our players,' Farke added.

'Sean will return and he will stay together with us. I'm pretty relaxed about what will happen in January. Marcel Franke went on loan (to Dynamo Dresden), one of our centre-backs, so for that I think it is pretty good that Sean will return.

'First of all I will concentrate on working with him and that's all I can say.'