Norwich City chief David McNally says Chris Hughton was their lone serious contender.

McNally revealed that former Birmingham City boss Hughton was the only candidate interviewed for the post vacated by Paul Lambert's move to Aston Villa.

He said: "We looked at the UK and international market, and had a detailed look at who was available and who wasn't and we wanted to try to find the person who could take us forward.

"This is one of the best times in the club's history financially so we think the job is attractive to managers around the world.

"We thought it was key to have top-league experience, preferably in the Premier League and at the end of it all we looked at the names and Chris stood out as number one candidate. We recognised that unanimously."