West Bromwich Albion captain Chris Brunt has welcomed the appointment of Steve Clarke as new head coach.

Brunt was impressed by his first contact with the 48-year-old Scot, who has been given the nod to replace Roy Hodgson.

Brunt said: "I spoke to him on the phone and he sounds very enthusiastic about the new job and the good thing about having a new manager is that it gives everybody a clean slate.

"It was great to get a call from him and I can't wait to get back into training in July and meet him properly.

"He's been a first-team coach or assistant manager at big clubs in the Premier League for as long as I can remember. The club have given him this opportunity because he has done a good job wherever he has been.

"I'm not surprised by the appointment, because if you look at Steve, he has a lot in common with Roy and he likes to get out and coach.

"We've got used to a manager who will be heavily involved in coaching."