Neil Adams believes Mike Phelan's Norwich City return will raise the spirits of everyone at Carrow Road.

The Canaries' boss, his players, and the club's fans have been left frustrated by a poor run which has seen City plummet from first to 10th in the Championship table – a spell which culminated in first-team coach Mark Robson being sacked.

But the only feeling felt by many yesterday was one of delight that the former City captain had completed his Norfolk comeback to fill the void left by Robson's dismissal.

Adams said: 'Mike's a very positive person. He puts on challenging sessions for the players.

'He makes it interesting. He's someone the players will respect – without even meeting him they obviously know what he's done.

'So he'll come in and have an effect on the players and I'm sure it'll give the supporters a lift to know we've managed to get somebody in of that calibre.

'But importantly it's about how he applies himself out there for our benefit. We're delighted we've got him in and if he has the impact on us as a club that we want to that's exactly why he's been brought here.'

The 52-year-old has been out of the game since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at Manchester United in 2013. The hugely-respected coach arrived at Old Trafford in 1999 and became Fergie's assistant in 2008.

His career at Carrow Road started as a player in 1985. Phelan – who will begin his role on Wednesday – went on to make almost 200 appearances before departing, only to appear again as Gary Megson's assistant in 1995 while Adams was in the squad.

Adams added: 'He had a fantastic spell at Manchester United working under Sir Alex Ferguson but you could tell straight away he wants to be out there. He wants to be coaching and he wants to be back involved in first-team football.

'I think it speaks volumes of what he sees in us.'