Norwich City sign ex-Liverpool starlet Adam Phillips

Teenage midfielder Adam Phillips has signed a two year deal with Norwich City, following his release from Liverpool.

Adam Phillips, who was on trial with City last week, has signed a permanent deal at Carrow Road. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd

The Canaries confirmed the deal on Friday afternoon, which includes the option of another year, after a successful trial with the club’s development squad.

“It’s a great move for me and a great opportunity to come to a club like Norwich,” he said. “I’ve heard the fans are supposed to be very loyal and the area is very nice, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds. I felt the trial went really well, and it was great to be involved on the tour to Germany and to get a feel for what the coaching team want. I’m really pleased to be joining.

“It’s been good working under Matt Gill. He knows what he’s doing, and you can tell he’s a switched-on coach so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can bring to my career.”

Sporting director Stuart Webber was a key figure in Phillips’ decision to move to Norfolk, after previously working in Liverpool’s academy.

“I’ve had a strong relationship with Stuart. I’ve always kept in contact with him and I’m looking forward to working with him,” he said. “It was frustrating for the last year or two with injury. I had a back injury but I’m fully recovered now and I’m looking to push on with Norwich City and put that behind me.

“I think it’s good the first-team have a new head coach, so hopefully I can try and catch his eye in the under-23s games and try to push to train with the first-team and get around the squad. But at the moment I’m just focussed on working hard and playing as well as I can with the U23s.”

City’s U23s coach Gill sees the deep-lying midfielder as an asset for the coming season.

“He’s really impressed everyone since we took him on trial,” he said. “It’s never easy coming in on trial but he settled into the group really well, and the lads took to him. He played an hour at King’s Lynn and went to Germany, and it was clear very quickly that he has excellent technical ability.

“A lot of our good stuff on tour went through him, he has an excellent passing range and he’s technically gifted. Anyone who’s been at Liverpool at their older age groups will always have a lot of talent, so we’re really pleased to have him here.”

Academy chief, Richard Money, is challenging Phillips to build on an impressive start to his Norwich career.

“We’ve been really happy with him since we initially took him on trial. We knew his pedigree and he’s come in and fitted in really well and made a big difference to the group,” Money told the club’s official site. “He has a great deal of talent and we want him to get back to achieving the potential he showed early on at a big club. We’re delighted to have secured his signing.”