Former Norwich City striker John Manning dies

Former Norwich City forward John Manning has died at the age of 80.

Manning joined the Canaries from Shrewsbury Town in September 1967 for a fee of £21,000 and scored 22 goals in 67 games before leaving for Bolton Wanderers in March 1969.

He formed a strong partnership with Hugh Curran during the reign of Lol Morgan as manager, wearing the number nine shirt and scoring regularly during two seasons which ended in mid-table finishes in the second tier.

Reports at the time suggested Manning had asked to leave City to return to the north-west ahead of his sale to Bolton for around £20,000, to be closer to family in his home town of Liverpool.

He also played for Tranmere Rovers, Walsall, Crewe Alexandra and Barnsley - scoring over 70 goals for Tranmere across two spells.

According to the Canary Citizens book, Manning was a player renowned for his strong heading ability. He became a coach at Crewe and had coaching stints abroad, including in Saudi Arabia, before returning to England and working as a scout for Birmingham and Brighton. Away from football he worked as a sales manager for a chemical company.

It's understood Manning was being treated for Alzheimer's disease at a care facility in Liverpool in the past year.

A statement from the Canaries confirming the news concluded: "Everyone’s thoughts at Norwich are with John’s family and friends at this sad time."