ACADEMY youngsters Declan Rudd and Korey Smith have both signed two year professional deals with the Canaries.

The pair put pen to paper over the weekend, and Academy Manager Ricky Martin says exciting times are ahead for the young keeper and centre midfielder, both aged 17.

"It's great news for the Academy, with two players going across and joining the managers squad.

"Declan Rudd has already appeared on the bench at the end of last season, which was a great achievement for a scholar and he's also a young England international, so we have high hopes for him. Being a goalkeeper you have to be a bit more patient to get your opportunity, but at present there's only David Marshall in front of him and I'm sure Declan's looking to impress the coaching staff over pre-season" said Ricky.

With Matthew Gilks recently making the move to Blackpool, Rudd is now number two in the goalkeeping ranks. Does the Academy manager think that Rudd can handle the pressure of being second in command?

"Declan is a very mature young man who's dealt with international football for three years now, and that brings a lot of pressure as well. Along with the pressures of his studies at school, he's also had to deal with international groups and getting into the academy, so I do feel that he will cope with this pressure equally as well.

"It's down to us sometimes to remind him to be a bit more realistic. He might be looking to break into the first team by Christmas but he's got to understand that, as a goalkeeper, that can take a little bit longer. He's got a very good keeper in David Marshall to overcome first. We won't hold Declan back, we won't stop him from having high aspirations, it's just about nurturing him and pushing him at the right time."

Korey Smith is another future star which City have high hopes for. When the youngster caught Glenn Roeder's eye, his talent persuaded the manager to offer him a training place with the first team. Ricky commented: "Korey's been a player who's regularly been called to train with the first team squad as a first year scholar when he was only 16 and he's impressed the manager in all of these sessions.

IMPRESSIVE: Korey's efforts caught Glenn Roeder's eye

"It's due to the level of his performances that he's earned himself the professional contract. He's a great advertisement to the young scholars to know that if you train hard and play well, that can be the indication that you can get a pro contract.

"The manager and the senior staff are happy with what they've seen and they've given him an opportunity to go and work with them on a daily basis and let's hope that with good performances in the reserves, he will get his opportunity this season as well. Both boys are very optimistic and we're hoping that both boys will get an opportunity this season."