Norwich City head coach Dean Smith has praised midfielder Kenny McLean after the Scot signed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2025.

McLean has been a regular under Smith since the ex-Aston Villa boss' arrival at Carrow Road in November last year, earning a two-year extension - with the club retaining an option to extend by a further year - with his previous deal set to expire next summer.

Smith is delighted to keep the 30-year-old at the club, saying of the new contract: "It's a real positive. He's very underrated at times, Kenny, but not by the coaching staff and not by the players in the dressing room.

"That's really important. He's a real players' player, he works extremely hard, understands the game. He's in the leadership group, and the players voted him into that for a reason.

"I'm pleased that he's chosen to extend his stay at the football club. He's been pretty much an ever-present under myself and (predecessor) Daniel (Farke) as managers, which just shows how he's thought of by coaches."

Smith was speaking to official club channels at City's warm weather training camp in America's Tampa Bay, where they were based last week before they return to Norfolk this week.

Smith explained why the trip west was needed, saying: "We needed to get  some warm weather training. It always helps if you can get away from your normal activities.

"It's a little bit abnormal having a World Cup in this period and having this break, so we thought it would be good to get all the players and their families out here to Tampa. We've been really looked after, really well received, as you saw with the open training session.

"The lads have enjoyed it, it's been hard work though. We wanted to get four or five days' hard training into them, and some ideas of what we want to do when we get back and start playing again. They'll go and get three or four days off now, before we start back again and get ready for Swansea."