Former Southampton academy director Matt Hale has started his new role as academy manager at League One club Derby County.

Hale had spent around ten years at the Saints in the senior role within their youth setup.

However, he is now ready for a new challenge, after taking the club up to a category one academy.

On moving to Derby, Hale said in a statement: “I am delighted to be joining Derby County as academy manager and I'm looking forward to getting started in the role.

“Derby County's academy has an excellent standing, so I'm eager to get down to work. I can't wait to meet the existing staff and begin building excellent working relationships with everyone, including our young players and their parents.

“From the very first conversation I had with the club it was apparent that our values and vision for the academy were perfectly aligned, so it was an easy decision to accept this opportunity and there's so much potential to work with here."