Nahki Wells has expressed his sadness after Bristol City head coach Liam Manning left the club to join Sky Bet Championship rivals Norwich City.

Manning ended weeks of speculation surrounding his future at Ashton Gate after agreeing to a four-year deal at Norwich after his release clause was activated, and Wells is disappointed to see him depart.

“Obviously it's a shame he's leaving the club as I have worked with him for the last 18 months,” Wells told The Royal Gazette.

“He's a top manager who I believe will go on to do top things and I think he'll go on to manage in the Premier League for years and years to come.

“All of us are quite sad and disappointed to see him go. I can only speak so highly of him as a person and as a coach who has been great for us and great for me. I wish him all the best and I can assure you that Norwich will be a much better side with him than without him.

“For us it's about seeing who is appointed next and it's just a waiting game to see what my future holds and what's going to happen between me and the club over the next few weeks.”

Manning had been in charge of the Robins since November 2023 and led them to this season's play-offs, in which they lost in the semi-finals lose 6-0 on aggregate to Sheffield United.

Manning has been one of Wells’s biggest champions at City this season and had urged the club to give the Bermudian forward a new contract with his deal expiring this summer.

The former Bermuda captain, who scored ten goals and provided four assists in 39 league appearances for the Robins in the Championship this season, is negotiating a potential new deal with the club.

He is one of the longest-serving players in the Robins squad, having made 237 appearances and scored 48 goals for them since joining from Burnley in 2020.

The Robins finished sixth in the Championship under Manning’s stewardship this season, their first top six finish in 17 years, to secure their spot in the play-off semi-final.

However, their hopes of promotion to the Premier League were extinguished with the heavy defeat to Sheffield United, who also came up short after losing 2-1 to Sunderland in the play-off final.

Champions Leeds United and runner-up and Wells’s former club Burnley clinched the two automatic promotion spots on offer.

Former Luton Town coach Rob Edwards and Swansea City boss Luke Williams are understood to be the leading candidates to succeed Manning at Ashton Gate.