Neil Adams resigns as Norwich City manager

Neil Adams was in his first managerial job at Norwich City

Norwich City boss Neil Adams has resigned after nine months in charge of the Championship side.

Mike Phelan, a first-team coach at Norwich and former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, will take temporary charge.

Adams's last game as manager was Saturday's 2-0 defeat by League One Preston in the FA Cup third round.

The 49-year-old will take a break from football and return to the club in an unidentified role in July.

He replaced Chris Hughton at Carrow Road in April, but failed to prevent the club being relegated from the Premier League.

The Canaries had won three of their last five league games, but had just one victory from their previous 10, and are seventh in the table, three points outside the play-off places.

"I firmly believe that we are still on course for a crack at promotion back to the Premier League. That is where this club belongs," former City winger Adams said.

"However, I feel it is in the best interests of the team that an immediate change is made in order to ensure a positive impact on results.

"It goes without saying that I sincerely hope the team achieves success this season and I would like to say a huge thank you to the supporters who have backed me during my tenure as manager."

Mike Phelan takes temporary charge of Norwich, just seven weeks after becoming first-team coach

Adams made more than 200 appearances for Norwich in the 1990s and led the club's youngsters to FA Youth Cup success in 2013.

This was his first job as a manager, and after a blistering start to the Championship season put the Canaries top of the table at the start of October, a torrid run all the way through to the end of November had put him under pressure.

Phelan, who had left Manchester United following Ferguson's retirement in 2013, was brought in to assist Adams in late November, and results picked up, before consecutive defeats by Reading and Preston.

Phelan, 52, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time as Ferguson's assistant at Old Trafford, is himself a former Canaries player and was assistant to Gary Megson at Carrow Road between 1995 and 1996.