 The injury was suspected to keep Howson out of football for several months and he did not feature for his boyhood club again before he was sold to Premier League Norwich City in late January 2012.The sale of Howson prompted protests amongst Leeds supporters; enraged by what they perceived as a lack of ambition after failure to hold on to several key players in recent seasons and minimal investment in the first team squad.United defender and Howson's long-term friend Ben Parker rejected the club's claims that midfielder wanted to leave the club at a fans forum whilst negotiations were taking place.