Exclusive: What Sky Sports pundit thinks ex-Rangers boss Philippe Clement will do at Norwich City | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie spoke exclusively to Football League World about Norwich City's appointment of Philippe Clement

Norwich City's search for a successor to Liam Manning following his exit ahead of this month's international break has reached its conclusion, with former Rangers boss Philippe Clement having been appointed to take the reigns at Carrow Road.

The Canaries made the unsurprising decision to part ways with Manning after a dismal start to the campaign, which saw the Norwich-born head coach win just two of his 15 games in charge before being dismissed.

Much was expected of Manning, who was poached from Championship rivals Bristol City following a remarkable play-off finish with the Robins in the 2024/25 campaign, though his time at Norwich proved a disaster and, prior to his sacking, supporters staged protests for both his dismissal and that of unpopular sporting director Ben Knapper.

No shortage of names were linked to the top job at Norwich, with former Canaries midfielder Gary O'Neil and ex-Blackburn Rovers and Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson having both held talks in East Anglia. However, Norwich ultimately settled on the appointment of Phillipe Clement, which was officially confirmed by the Championship outfit on Tuesday morning.

Signing on a contract until the summer of 2029, Clement will be returning to the dugout following eight months out, having last been in charge of Scottish giants Rangers between October 2023 and February of this year. The Belgian coach, who can also count previous stints with Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco on his managerial CV, will be looking to instantly hit the ground running at Norwich and alleviate the Canaries away from the second-tier relegation zone.

Norwich are currently positioned in 23rd place, only above crisis-stricken Sheffield Wednesday. The Canaries will have held ambitions of competing for a top-six berth before a ball was kicked this term, but will now intend on stopping the rot and moving away from relegation danger in the coming weeks with Clement at the helm.

Lee Hendrie makes Norwich City, Philippe Clement prediction

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit and ex-Aston Villa stalwart Lee Hendrie discussed Clement's appointment at Norwich ahead of official confirmation from the Canaries. Hendrie outlined the importance of turning a corner and has tipped Clement to come in and "shake things up" with the Canaries, who are in desperate need of instant impact from the 51-year-old.

In Hendrie's view, however, Clement could well prove to be a successful appointment for Norwich, and he also cited the experience of the ex-Monaco boss as a reason for encouragement at Carrow Road.

"Norwich need to get it sorted out pretty quick," Hendrie explained to FLW.

"They need to turn a corner, the season has been poor up until now. Clement, I think he will come in and shake things up.

"I think he'll do really well there. Obviously he's got that experience as well, the sooner they get sorted out the better."

Clement described his excitement towards the opportunity at Norwich and will take charge of his first game when the Canaries travel to Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.

Norwich City hierarchy facing extreme pressure with Philippe Clement appointment

The margin for failure with what now represents Norwich's third permanent managerial hire inside the calendar year is rather slim indeed, with supporters having lost patience with the powers that be in recent times.

Manning was subjected to intense scrutiny throughout the latter stages of his brief tenure at City, although the fanbase always made it clear that they felt, in spite of his failings, that the problems were more deep-rooted than the head coach, with the aforementioned Knapper and even owner Mark Attanasio receiving backlash.

Norwich's appointment of Johannes Hoff Throup last season, which was hoped to redirect them towards promotion after losing out in the 2024 play-off semi-finals to Leeds United, never quite worked out, and Manning's time was a complete disaster. But, where Norwich find themselves at this moment in time is a relegation battle, and that situation cannot persist heading into the festive period and beyond.

Clement's side are already some four points shy of safety, and with upcoming fixtures against a number of similarly-placed sides and outfits scattered throughout the bottom-half of the table, an immediate upturn is required in order to get the fanbase back onside and extinguish genuine fears of relegation to League One.

If this one doesn't work out, though, there may be no way back for the Canaries' top brass.