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Ed Balls has "open mind" on manager search

Norwich City chairman Ed Balls says that the club have "a very open mind" in their search for a successor to Alex Neil.

Norwich City chairman Ed Balls has said that the club has "a very open mind" in their hunt for a new manager.

The Canaries dispensed of the services of Alex Neil earlier this month with their hopes of reaching the Championship playoff places fading.

The club have since announced a new internal structure, with Steve Stone appointed as a managing director and the new position of sporting director created to work alongside the next head coach.

"We don't want someone who comes in saying 'I see you have an ambition to go the sporting director route and the vision for the academy' and tells us they want to do it a different way," Balls is quoted as saying by The Pink Un.

"An old-fashioned way of doing it, if you like. If they say they don't want to play football how Norwich City want to or 'a sporting director is nothing to do with me', that is not the sort of person we want to hire.

"The sporting director will be part of that decision. In terms of whether we favour young or old, British or international we have a very open mind on that. We have a lot of players from overseas and there is no reason we could not have an overseas manager.

"I don't think age should be a factor. It is about being flexible and willing to embrace state-of-the-art ideas. If they are not willing to embrace sports science, nutrition, a willingness to play young players then they are not for us. We want a head coach who is going to be excited to be a part of this."

Balls has also denied speculation that former England manager Roy Hodgson is in contention for either the sporting director or head coach role.

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Neil Wilkes
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A general shot of a Premier League football ahead of the Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016
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