Ben Knapper and Johannes Hoff Thorup are the perfect pair to lead Norwich City's new era.

That's the verdict of experienced coach Flemming Pedersen, who knows both from his time working for FC Nordsjaelland.

The 61-year-old played a key role in Thorup's development as a coach, appointing him as assistant when he was in charge of the Tigers before helping form the plan to make him his successor.

Pedersen also came to appreciate Knapper when the City sporting director was working for Arsenal, and says Thorup, now the Canaries' head coach, feels the same.

Speaking to the Pink Un via a video link from Denmark, he admitted that the opportunity for Thorup to work for Norwich was too good to turn down, even if he'd have liked him to stay at Nordsjaelland.

"Personally I would have liked to keep him longer," Pedersen said. "Him and his staff really performed in the last six months, and it would have been exciting to see how he would have developed here.

"But I also know that it's difficult to say no. Here he has a chance to go into the Championship, and Norwich are a good club.

"I like Ben Knapper, I met him at Arsenal in 2019 when I was over there. We did a presentation for Arsenal on how we did it, and I think Johannes has a good impression of him as well.

"He'll get the time needed to develop the players and the team at Norwich right now. As a head coach you're dependent on your sporting director and the board, how much time they give you."

With youth, tactical style and player development high up the agenda under Knapper, the similarities between Thorup's job at his old club and his new one are clear.

Pedersen believes that's a positive, even if it won't be as simple as transplanting FCN's culture at Carrow Road.

"You cannot just move one person into another culture and copy things," he continued. "But with Johannes you definitely have knowledge, if the intention from Ben Knapper and Norwich is to do something similar.

"If they have been inspired by the same methodology, then it will always be good to hire a person who knows that methodology."