Neil discusses Norwich future after heavy loss

Matt Stead

Alex Neil’s future seems certain to be at Norwich, with the club consigned to Championship football next season.

The Canaries ended their season with a disappointing 3-0 defeat by Everton at Goodison Park four days after their relegation from the Barclays Premier League was sealed.

There has been speculation about whether Neil would stay on as manager but he confirmed that now “looks likely”.

The 34-year-old said: “There’s been brief discussions. I’ll have more discussions tomorrow but it looks likely at the moment that I’ll be here for next season.”

Norwich did all they could to hang on in midweek by beating Watford 4-2 but Sunderland’s 3-0 victory over Everton meant an immediate return to the Championship.

The Toffees had won only five Premier League games at Goodison Park all season, which contributed significantly to Roberto Martinez’s sacking on Thursday.

But they always looked like making it six once James McCarthy scored the opener in the 19th minute. Leighton Baines added a second from the penalty spot just before half-time and three minutes after the break Kevin Mirallas tapped in the third.

Neil described the penalty, given for a foul by Robbie Brady on Romelu Lukaku, as “extremely soft” and felt there was no excuse for his players not to be fully motivated.

He said: “If they’ve got any sort of professional pride then it shouldn’t be tough. Certainly for the 2,000 fans that have travelled up, the least they deserved was for every player to give their all.

“If everybody wants to call themselves a professional football player, the first part’s the essential part – professional. I think regardless of what game you’re playing, you should be up for it 100 per cent.”