Ipswich Town’s fierce rivals Norwich City have confirmed relative unknown Alex Neil as their new manager today.

The 33-year-old will be formally unveiled this lunchtime after travelling south to finalise his switch from Scottish Premier League club Hamilton Academical.

Neil becomes the second youngest manager in the Football League, replacing Neil Adams who resigned on Monday with the seventh-place Canaries enduring an inconsistent start to their first season back at Championship level after relegation from the Premier League.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to manage a club of the stature of Norwich – it’s an exciting challenge at a huge club and one that I’m looking forward to,” he said.

“I’ve watched a lot of Premier League and Championship football over the years and I’ve always been really impressed with Carrow Road and the Norwich fans and the way they get the place going when they get behind the team. It’s a forward-thinking club with a fantastic infrastructure and big ambition, which matches my own ambitions.

“Of course I’m sad to leave Hamilton, a brilliant club which has been such a huge part of my life for so long. But when an opportunity as exciting as this with a club like Norwich comes your way, you take it. The aim now is simply to win as many games as possible and move Norwich City up the table.”

City chief executive David McNally revealed Neil had been the unanimous choice of the club’s board.

“We’re delighted that Alex has agreed to become Norwich City’s new manager and we hope he’s here for a long time,” McNally told the club’s official site. “It was important for us to have somebody who had the drive, ambition and commitment to work as hard as it takes to take the club forward.

“Lots of names were under consideration, but for us, as the Board of Norwich City football club, he was the unanimous choice and the first choice.”

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