Norwich boss Thorup resigned to sale of Sara

Johannes Hoff Thorup was appointed at the end of May on a three-year contract

Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup appears resigned to losing midfielder Gabriel Sara before the start of the new Championship season.

The Brazilian, who has scored 20 goals in 86 league appearances in two years at Carrow Road, has been strongly linked with a move to Turkish club Galatasaray.

He was not involved in Norwich's final pre-season friendly, a 3-1 home defeat by German club St Pauli.

"He was not a part of the team because it is getting closer, so close that it didn't make sense for him, or for us, to participate," Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"So many things can happen, they can go fast in both directions, so you never know. But it's maybe a step in the direction that he's not here any more that he wasn't part of the game."

With forward Adam Idah also attracting the attention of other clubs after helping Celtic win the Scottish title while on loan last season, the Canaries are "looking at the market" themselves, according to Thorup, who believes Sara's example can help them attract quality players to Carrow Road.

"We should first of all be proud that we have a player we have developed here to the next level in his career," the Dane said.

"When we create these kinds of stories it also tells the next ones, that we can hopefully get to this club, that if you perform well in a good team and a good league then you are also ready to take the next step."

Having come from 2-0 down to draw with Hoffenheim in their previous game, Norwich found themselves 3-0 down at half-time against St Pauli, and although Jonathan Rowe pulled one back, they could not reduce the deficit further.

"In some moments of the game, the performance was at a very high level, especially at the beginning of the match, and then in some moments of the game it was too low level. We have to find that balance," said Thorup.

"We have to be sharper, we have to be better, both positionally but also in the individual decisions in these moments. We were too slow in our execution and were a little bit surprised that they came hard in their pressing, and we have to do better."

Colombian defender Jose Cordoba, signed last month from Bulgarian club Levski Sofia, was again not involved.

Thorup added: "These guys that play for international teams, it's a little bit tricky for them because we have to find some holiday time for them as well (as pre-season).

"We can see now that we have to build him up a little bit more. Hopefully he can be ready for Saturday. But we have to respect that he's not fully fit at the moment."

Norwich start the new campaign with a lunchtime trip to promoted Oxford United on Saturday, having lost to former boss Daniel Farke's Leeds United in last season's play-offs, which led to the departure of head coach David Wagner.