West Brom youth chief Steve Hopcroft has revealed they academy will be a cornerstone for the club's new owners.

Hopcroft, who has turned down an approach from Manchester United, sought assurances from new chairman John Williams concerning the club's commitment to youth development following Guochuan Lai's takeover.

The Chinese businessman's £175million buy-out of Jeremy Peace is expected to be completed by the weekend.

“He (Williams) said that if anything it will be more academy focused now," said Hopcroft. “We've got to do things differently and that's what we've done at academy level."