MIKE Phelan looks upon his role as first-team coach with the Canaries as a ‘great opportunity’.

The former Norwich City midfielder and captain was speaking to the media for the first time since he was appointed last week, and after taking part in his first training session on Thursday he was impressed with what he saw.

“This was a great offer, a great opportunity,” said Phelan at Colney.

“They all want to progress and they all want to be winners – you can see that in the training sessions.

“Just being here for one day, you can see that there’s eagerness, but it’s not easy, there are a lot of other clubs who want to do the same.

“The tempo is good, they’re a lively bunch, and they seem to be a good group of players, so I’ll just enhance that by working with Neil and try to produce a winning team.”

Phelan was inducted into City’s Hall of Fame after making 194 appearances between 1985 and 1989, and in that time he developed a fondness for the Club that still exists today and ultimately played a part in him accepting the job.

“The years I had here as a player were some of the best years I had,” he added.

“There is potential here, there are traditions here and it’s a club going forward, and I want to be part of that.

“If I can add a little bit to that to get to where we want to be – they’re the reasons why I’m here.”

The 52-year-old reflected on the Canaries recent downturn in results but was focussed on looking ahead as the staff and players try to plot a route back to the top end of the Sky Bet Championship.

“The idea of coming here is to start afresh. It’s not to look back on what’s happened, nobody can change that,” he commented.

“For me it’s all about looking forward, getting to know the players, trying to put different things together if possible, working with new staff and realising the expectations here.

“I’m here to try and make progress, and work with these guys to try and make that happen. My season starts this weekend. The players seem very keen and eager to do well.”

Thursday's press conference with Neil Adams and Mike Phelan will be available to watch in full on Canaries Player ahead of the Reading game.

MIKE PHELAN: CANARIES A 'GREAT OPPORTUNITY'

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