9 hours ago
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Jack Wilshere will not be considered as a candidate for the Norwich City manager's job despite seeing out the campaign as caretaker boss.
The former Arsenal and England midfielder stepped up from his role as Canaries first-team coach to take charge of Norwich's final two Championship matches of the season after Johannes Hoff Thorup was sacked on 22 April.
Wilshere, 33, oversaw a goalless draw with Middlesbrough and a final-day win against Cardiff City.
Canaries sporting director Ben Knapper told BBC Radio Norfolk the club's search for a permanent replacement will be "focussed externally".
"Jack is a fantastic person, he and I have a big history together," said Knapper, who worked at Arsenal when Wilshere was a player there.
"He's a great coach and will be a fantastic head coach, but that's not going to be here at this particular moment in time.
"Naturally he's disappointed. He's super-ambitious, and he should be, but for where we are right now and the context, we're focussing externally.
"The emotional part, the romantic part of me would love to make that decision but my job is to not get wrapped up in emotion and to make cool, objective decisions."
After just one of Wilshere's matches in charge, full-back Jack Stacey said Norwich players wanted to see him given the role on a full-time basis.
Stacey, who played alongside Wilshere for former club Bournemouth, told BBC Radio Norfolk at a special Norwich City fans' event: "Personally, and I think I can speak for all of the changing room, I think we'd be delighted for Jack to get it.
"The way he's come in and instilled confidence into individual players, it makes you want to do well for him and feel you can perform to your best."
Knapper added that the club will take its time in appointing a successor, saying: "That was one of the benefits of taking the decision when we did, but of course we want somebody in as soon as we can without compromising the quality of our process and of the candidate, and finding the right person.
"It's not something we expect to wrap up in a week or two but we don't want this to drag. We absolutely will have a head coach in place long before pre-season starts."
On the decision to sack Thorup, Knapper said: "We consider the performance of the team, the performance and individual development of our players, and then of course results, all of those things were trending in the wrong direction.
"When that's the case we need to take action because we've got big ambitions and big targets here and ultimately we need to move towards delivering those.
"This football club, regardless of context, regardless of head coach and where we are in our cycle, in the Championship will always target top six. That's just how it is.
"Of course that's not the reason we've taken the decision we have taken.
"If we felt like in those other areas we were really moving forward and seeing progress, and the team was getting stronger and looking better as the season went on, then even if we had missed out on top six we would have optimism."
Knapper also admitted that the futures of top goalscorers Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent were still up in the air.
"We expect approaches but as we've demonstrated historically and certainly since I've been with the club, we can sell players effectively, and for us to get to that point it has to be a proposition that works for us as well," he added.
