3 Liam Manning replacements Norwich City must consider ASAP as sack talk continues | OneFootball

Liam Manning's time as Norwich City manager could soon be up

Liam Manning is under immense pressure to start performing at Norwich City.

The Canaries have suffered a dreadful opening to the 2025/26 campaign, winning just two of their opening 10 league matches to sit 20th in the table.

Carrow Road saw a whole host of changes in the summer, including the appointment of Norwich-born Manning as manager.

This was viewed as a positive, exciting decision by the higher-ups at the club, as Manning had just led Bristol City to the play-offs for the first time in 17 years.

Due to Norwich’s bigger budget and talented operators, their new boss was expected to bring similar results to Norfolk.

That hasn’t appeared to be the case though and the Canaries are currently on a run of six league matches without a victory, which reportedly leaves Manning on borrowed time.

Amid the news that Norwich could soon be on the hunt for a new manager, Football League World have highlighted three potential targets the Canaries should be looking at.

Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick has been out of work since being let go by Middlesbrough at the end of last season and could be a solid option for Norwich to recruit.

Although the 44-year-old failed to take Boro up to the Premier League, he did take the North East outfit to the play-offs in 2023 and similar results would be welcome at Carrow Road right now.

When the former Manchester United midfielder was appointed as Middlesbrough boss in 2022, they were just a point outside of the relegation zone, which mirrors Norwich’s current situation.

Carrick was able to turn things around at the Riverside and guide Boro back up the table, which gives him the perfect experience to replace Manning as the Canaries’ boss.

Gary O’Neil

Gary O’Neil has been rumoured by journalist Graeme Bailey to have admirers at Norwich City, and it is clear to see why.

The 42-year-old has proven to be a capable top-flight manager with Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers, keeping both sides in the league during separate relegation battles.

Although untested at the Championship level, the know-how and expertise O’Neil would bring from Premier League management could work wonders at Carrow Road.

He knows what it takes to perform at the highest level and can make the necessary tweaks to Norwich’s squad in an attempt to fire them back towards the top flight, and given the fact he's already turned out for the club as a player, he knows all about Carrow Road and wouldn't need a history lesson on the size of the club and what they are about.

Russell Martin

Perhaps controversially given his recent form, Russell Martin could be an intriguing option for Norwich to look at.

Admittedly, the 39-year-old failed in dramatic fashion as Rangers manager, but that shouldn’t discredit the good work he has previously done.

With Southampton, Martin managed to achieve promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs - experience which would be greatly appreciated at Carrow Road, although he failed to last more than a few months in the top flight with the Saints before losing his job.

Norwich could be put off the former Swansea City boss due to his recent misery north of the border, but he has proven results on his CV and could be more motivated than ever to prove his worth - especially at a club he played for for the best part of nearly eight years.