Norwich City eyeing up Watford FC manager Tom Cleverley as potential Thorup successor | OneFootball

Norwich City have Watford manager Tom Cleverley on their shortlist to replace Johannes Hoff Thorup.

According to reports, Norwich City are weighing up a move for Watford manager Tom Cleverleey.

The Hornets boss has been linked with a surprise move to Championship rivals Norwich, The Sun has revealed.

The former Manchester United midfielder has been with Watford since April last year, following a successful interim spell at Vicarage Road. He became the 20th different manager at the club since 2013, and the only manager out of their last 13 to successfully complete a year at the helm.

There have previously been doubts that the 35-year-old would see out the season with the Hertfordshire side, as they failed to make the play-offs, given the club's notoriety for changing head coaches.

However, Watford stuck with their man throughout the season, but could lose him to a Championship rival in the next few weeks.

Norwich City have Watford’s Tom Cleverly on managerial shortlist

After Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Blackburn Rovers, the Hornets now find themselves set for mid-table with a single game to go. The Hornets did flirt with the play-offs at times, but ultimately fell short as other sides put together more consistent results.

Later that day, The Sun then reported that Norwich had the 35-year-old on their shortlist to replace Johannes Hoff Thorup. The Canaries sacked the Dane early last week, placing another former England midfielder in Jack Wilshire in charge of the rest of the season.

According to the report, the move to Carrow Road could be a rather tantalising prospect for Cleverley. Norwich could offer a new start for the Watford boss, in a much more stable working environment.

A club with similar aspirations and league positioning to his current employers, Watford's track record with their recent managers, may well come back to bite them, should their boss decide to make the switch to East Anglia for next season.

Norwich City could be a more stable opportunity for Tom Cleverley than Watford

Watford have a tempestuous history with their managers. Cleverley is the 20th different manager of the former Premier League side in the last 12 years.

There always seems to be a looming threat of sacking for whoever takes the hotseat at Vicarage Road, due to the club’s reputation when it comes to the treatment of their managers.

Cleverley has already been under pressure this season, but the Hornets surprised everyone by keeping their former midfielder in charge. This may suggest that times have changed at the Hertfordshire club, but the pressure earlier in the season suggests otherwise.

As the report suggested, a move to Norwich could offer the ex-Man Utd midfielder a more stable working environment, where he can focus on the project and not have the constant pressure of a very demanding board.

There will still be plenty of pressure for the Watford boss to deal with in Norfolk, as Norwich have similar long-term goals as the Hornets in becoming an established Premier League side. But based off evidence in recent years, the Canaries seem much more likely to stick with their man through a rocky patch than Cleverley's current employers.