Albion under-23 coach Liam Rosenior has left the club to join Championship side Derby County.

Rosenior forms part of new Rams manager Phillip Cocu’s first-team coaching staff.

The former Albion right-back, who turned 35 yesterday, had been a member of Simon Rusk’s under-23 coaching set up since hanging up his boots just over a year ago.

He now takes up his first senior coaching role at Pride Park as part of the backroom team of former PSV and Fenerbahce manager Cocu, and has flown to Florida to link up with the club’s pre-season training camp.

Albion chairman Tony Bloom said: “Liam has become a firm favourite here at the club since he joined us from Hull City.

"He played a crucial role in our promotion to the Premier League, and was an important part of the squad during our first-ever season at that level.

“Since retiring from playing last summer, we have seen Liam’s coaching ability first-hand working with Simon Rusk’s under-23s.

"Liam has made no secret of his desire to coach at first-team level, and so, while we are very sorry to see Liam leave the club, we fully understand the opportunity which is available to him and the reasoning behind why he has chosen to join Derby County.

“On behalf of all at the Albion, I would like to thank Liam for his superb service and consummate professionalism as both player and coach, and wish him all the very best for his future coaching career.”

The son of former Fulham, QPR and Bristol City striker Leroy, Liam joined Albion in the summer of 2015, brought in as one of Chris Hughton’s first signings of that transfer window, and went on to make 51 appearances for the Seagulls.

In his first season, the club missed out automatic promotion and fell short in the play-offs, but a year later Rosenior was part of the Albion squad which celebrated the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

After calling time on his playing career – which also saw Rosenior represent Bristol City, Fulham, Reading and England under-21s – he stayed with the club and took the role of assistant coach for the club’s under-23s, playing his part in the team’s impressive first foray in the top division of Premier League 2.

A keen student of the game, Rosenior combined his coaching role with a media career as one of Sky Sports’ main Football League analysts, and during the final year of his playing career he wrote a weekly column in the Guardian.