£500k Norwich City transfer was an utter masterstroke in hindsight: View | OneFootball

Norwich City will feel they got the best end of the bargain when thinking back to the deal that brought Adam Drury from Peterborough United to Carrow Road.

He signed from the Posh for £500,000 in 2001 and went on to have a career with Norwich spanning 11 years, racking up hundreds of appearances and earning himself a testimonial.

It will go down as one of the Canaries' greatest-ever signings thanks to the years of committed service they received from the left-back.

That service is still in action today, as the 45-year-old is the .

Although £500,000 was a relatively hefty fee over 20 years ago, when held against the many years of service Drury gave to the club, it will be thought of as a small price to pay.

It would have been easy for Drury to wilt under the pressure of the big move, with a substantial fee attached and jumping up a division.

Expectations would also not have been tempered by his past manager at the London Road Stadium saying that Norwich were signing the best left-back outside the top flight.

That didn't phase Drury though. Having signed in March 2001, at Carrow Road in 2001/02.

He was a vital player for over a decade at Carrow Road

He settled in incredibly well following his first season, picking up the Canaries' Player of the Season award in 2003, before helping his side to the old Division 1 title the following year, earning promotion to the Premier League in the process.

Drury played the full 90 minutes of 42 second-tier games that division-winning season, providing stability down the left flank and ensuring consistency in the backline.

However, that wouldn't be the only promotion he'd play his part in, as in his final few years at Carrow Road he would play an equally important role in lifting the club out of League One and to the Premier League with promotions in successive seasons.

In total, the former Norwich captain made 358 appearances in just over a decade, making him 14th in the club's all-time appearance records.

Drury moved on, but his best football was with Norwich

He didn't hang up his boots at Norwich, however, moving to then Championship side Leeds United in 2012.

He signed a two-year deal, but the move would not quite work out for the then-33-year-old, managing just 12 appearances that season before a short loan to Bradford City at the end of that deal.

With age against him, his best playing years behind him at Carrow Road and having been released by Leeds at the end of his contract, Drury decided to call time on his career.

It wouldn't be long until he returned to his spiritual home in Norwich, taking up numerous roles around the club.

For a £500,000 investment over 20 years ago, Norwich have more than had their money's worth and continue to receive service from Drury to this day. His legendary status at Carrow Road will never be in doubt.