Michael Bailey Eight other Norwich City players alongside the name of Darren Huckerby were also told yesterday that their future lies away from Carrow Road.Manager Glenn Roeder signalled his intent to change the face of Norwich City's playing squad by confirming Rossi and Ryan Jarvis, Bally Smart, Patrick Bexfield, Andrew Cave-Brown, Steven Arnold, Matthew Halliday and Juan Velasco will not be offered new contracts during the summer, alongside Huckerby.

Michael Bailey

Eight other Norwich City players alongside the name of Darren Huckerby were also told yesterday that their future lies away from Carrow Road.

Manager Glenn Roeder signalled his intent to change the face of Norwich City's playing squad by confirming Rossi and Ryan Jarvis, Bally Smart, Patrick Bexfield, Andrew Cave-Brown, Steven Arnold, Matthew Halliday and Juan Velasco will not be offered new contracts during the summer, alongside Huckerby.

All of which leaves City with only 15 professional footballers currently contracted to the club in time for the start of the next campaign in August, six of which have hardly made an appearance between them under Roeder.

Skipper Mark Fotheringham and defender Gary Doherty are now expected to be offered new deals to stay at Norwich, while Robert Eagle was the only other player out of contract this summer not on the list of released players - meaning the Canaries may well take up their option of an extra year on the Leiston youngster's contract.

But Roeder will need to start his recruiting campaign as soon as he can, having lost two huge dressing room characters in Dion Dublin, following his retirement from the game, and Darren Huckerby.

And as the latter responded to the anger aimed by some fans at Roeder not offering the City star a new deal, Huckerby agreed that this summer is hugely important to the future at Carrow Road.

“The paying public can do what they want, but at the end of the day they're going to carry on supporting Norwich City, as they have done while I've been here,” said Huckerby.

“Things happen in football. It's not just happening to me, it happens everywhere and at the end of the day the most important thing is Norwich City Football Club and me leaving coincides with a massive, massive summer for the club.

“We're very short on players and it is big times ahead. We've got to sign a lot of players, and players don't come cheap.”

One potential target in Roeder's incoming tray could be defender Peter Rammage, who has just been released by Roeder's former club Newcastle United.

The 24-year-old came up through the ranks at St James' Park but made the last of his 50 league appearances against Middlesbrough last August.

Ü Who will be running out for the Canaries next season:

Current professional squad under contract: David Marshall, Jon Otsemobor, Adam Drury, Jason Shackell, Lee Croft, Jamie Cureton, Luke Chadwick, Matthew Gilks, Darel Russell, Matty Pattison, Michael Spillane, Chris Martin, Luke, Daley, Damon Lathrope, Simon Lappin.

Out of contract in the summer but could be offered a new deal: Mark Fotheringham, Robert Eagle, Gary Doherty.

Academy players likely to be offered professional terms: Decland Rudd, Kris Renton.