David Edwards admits he is relieved to be back to full fitness and has already set his sights on regaining his place in the Wales midfield.

The 25-year-old helped Wolves end an eight-match winless run with a goal in their 3-1 victory over Wigan at the weekend, having returned from seven months on the sidelines with a back injury.

His time out of the game has coincided with a Welsh revival under Gary Speed, and with Aaron Ramsey having assumed the captaincy and the likes of Joe Allen staking an impressive claim for a starting role, competition for a midfield place is as fierce as it has ever been during Edwards’ international career.

And Edwards knows he is unlikely to start Saturday’s friendly against Norway. “The midfield is the strongest part of the team,” he said. “It is very competitive.

“You have the likes of Joe Allen, who has been phenomenal this season, he ran the show in Swansea’s game against Wolves.

“Andrew Crofts is playing in the Premier League and then you have Joe Ledley and Jack Collison, the list goes on.

“It has been tough watching from the sidelines, but the manager has been good to me, he has been on the phone, and it’s nice to be back with the buzz in the squad with everyone doing well.”

Edwards is happy to take a long-term approach after his back problem, which the Shrewsbury-born player explained is hereditary, made even getting in and out of the car painful.

“It was my worst injury, it was really hard,” he said. “I was struggling to do anything.

“My dad had it and my brother had it and with the amount of sport I played it was always going to happen.