Norwich bid for Worthington rejected by Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland boss Nigel Worthington will not be rejoining Norwich City as manager after the Irish Football Association (IFA) on Thursday refused any bid from the struggling Championship club.

Glenn Roeder was axed as the Canaries manager on Wednesday and Norwich have now failed in their bid to open talks with Worthington as they attempted to make a quick appointment.

A statement on the IFA’s official website, www.irishfa.com, read: “Nigel is currently making preparations for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and is fully focused and committed to his job as the Northern Ireland international manager.”

Worthington told the BBC: “I am happy to focus on a job I am enjoying.

“I spoke to the president about the situation and we are both happy that it was in the best interests of the association and myself that any offer from Norwich be rejected.

“I had a successful time at Norwich although the last six months were a bit hairy when tough times hit. I have done the Norwich job and have now moved on and I am really enjoying my role with Northern Ireland.”

Norwich are just one place off the relegation zone in the Championship, the second tier of English league football, and were knocked out of the FA Cup in midweek.