Kenny McLean drops 'exciting' Norwich City claim involving Philippe Clement | OneFootball

Norwich City captain Kenny McLean has run the rule over how the Canaries may perform in the Championship next season

Norwich City captain Kenny McLean has shared his thoughts on how the Canaries may perform in the Championship next season.

The Carrow Road club endured a poor start to the 2024/25 campaign under the stewardship of former boss Liam Manning, who was sacked in November.

Manning left the Canaries second-bottom in the Championship, following a woeful run of seven consecutive home defeats.

However, the 40-year-old's successor, Philippe Clement, has been a revelation, as Norwich ultimately finished ninth in the second tier, eight points adrift of the play-off places.

Norwich City captain Kenny McLean makes 2026/27 success admission

Norwich landed a Championship play-off place following a largely successful 2023/24 season, and would love to achieve that feat, or even clinch automatic promotion next term.

Canaries stalwart McLean won the second-tier title for the Carrow Road club under Daniel Farke's management in both 2019 and 2021.

The 34-year-old remains a key figure for the Norfolk outfit, and made 42 Championship appearances this term, notching three goals and registering four assists in the process.

McLean is set to represent Scotland in this summer's World Cup, but already has one eye on helping Norwich fulfil their lofty ambitions next season - and he's confident Philippe Clement is the right man to take the Canaries forward.

Speaking to the Pink Un, the midfielder said: "I've been fortunate enough to see the good times, to see us being successful, and I've been part of that; I want to be part of that again.

"And I think we've got the right person in charge right now who can take us there. You can see the best of a lot of players now, so hopefully, we continue to improve because that's all we all want to do.

"We all want to improve, and hopefully, we continue to do that. Whatever next season brings, I'm sure it'll be exciting. But, you know, it's really good to see the expectation back on this football club."

McLean ended his individual season in style, scoring from the penalty spot in Norwich's 1-1 draw with Swansea City on 25 April, a week on from producing an assist in an entertaining 4-2 triumph over Bristol City.

The former Aberdeen man will hope to have a similar impact next month when Scotland face Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil in the World Cup group stage.

Norwich City attacking duo may hold the key to 2026/27 promotion bid

Clement has made Norwich one of the best teams in the Championship since his arrival, while the Canaries have quality all around the pitch.

McLean will likely play a key role in midfield once again, and defenders such as Jose Cordoba and Ruairi McConville have proven their worth for the Carrow Road side.

Meanwhile, Clement's men scored just one league goal fewer than Millwall, who finished third in the Championship, missing out on automatic promotion by just one point.

With Norwich's potent attack in mind, their chances of winning promotion next season, either automatically or via the play-offs, will likely hinge on the efforts of strikers Mohamed Toure and Jovon Makama.

Toure has been exceptional since joining the Canaries from Danish outfit Randers in the winter transfer window, scoring nine goals and producing three assists in 11 Championship appearances.

Meanwhile, Makama joined from freshly crowned League One champions Lincoln City last summer, and has taken to second-tier football well, notching 10 goals in 28 league appearances.