CHRIS LAKEY Norwich City say they will not be rushed into a decision over a new manager after confirming Jim Duffy will be in caretaker charge for at least the next two games.

CHRIS LAKEY

Norwich City say they will not be rushed into a decision over a new manager after confirming Jim Duffy will be in caretaker charge for at least the next two games.

Canaries chief executive Neil Doncaster yesterday gave a rare glimpse into the recruitment process, although he stopped short of detailing exactly where the club stand in their search for a successor to Peter Grant, who left the club last week.

Speculation over the identity of the new manager has been rife, with Doncaster confirming that the candidates include “several top managers from England and abroad”.

Duffy - who was appointed as Grant's assistant manager in February - is the only known applicant and will be in charge for the home game against Bristol City on Saturday and the trip to Burnley next Tuesday.

“While it is important that the process is completed as speedily as possible, we will not rush any appointment - and that means that Jim Duffy will have at least the next two games in charge of the team,” said Doncaster in his column for the EDP.

Doncaster also confirmed that former manager Dave Stringer will again be involved in the recruitment process - as he was when Grant was appointed last October - but said the club would be taking other “outside” advice.

“In addition we will take on board views from senior figures within the game who have a perspective on matters Norwich City altogether different from that within Norfolk,” added Doncaster.

The search is not confined to applicants, with City also seeking out their own targets, some of whom are already with other clubs.

“We are looking both at those who have applied and others who have not applied but who we have identified as having the qualities we are looking for,” he added. “Some are in work at other clubs; others are not. We are delighted that Jim Duffy has applied for the position and he will be interviewed alongside the other short-listed candidates.

“It is easy to forget, with all the gloom surrounding the start to the season, that the Norwich City job is, in the words of one of the candidates, 'one of the top 25 football jobs in the country'. And that is why so many very credible candidates have approached us. It would be wrong to identify them, and we will not be responding to speculation about individual names as the process unfolds. But they do include several top managers from England and abroad.”