West Brom have recently announced that Chris Brunt's 13-year spell with the club will come to an end upon the conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign. 

Brunt is one of 16 players to have made over 400 appearances in his time with the Baggies, and played his part in their two promotions into the Premier League.

But the Northern Irishman has struggled for consistent game time this season under the management of Slaven Bilic, with Brunt making just nine appearances for West Brom's first-team.

Speaking in an interview with West Brom's official website, Bilic highlighted that his decision to not play Brunt as often this season could have caused problems in the dressing room, but praised the midfielder for his professionalism, and revealed that Brunt respected his decision.

"The record will show that I am the manager who basically took away his place in the first team starting XI and these situations are very, very hard for players – especially players who are long serving, are leaders, captains of the club.

"When they lose that power on the pitch it is hard to cope with. Every player likes to play but it’s special with these players. To be fair, that is a very complex situation and can cause disturbances around the team and the dressing room."

"But Chris has been brilliant. He cares so much about the Club and he’s so professional. He hasn’t dropped one bit in training and he has always been very respectful of the situation."

Bilic went on to praise Brunt for his contribution off the pitch for West Brom this season, and labelled him as a 'proper club captain', which will go down well with the club's supporters.

"From day one, he was always there for me and my staff and the players – he is a proper Club captain and he’s still one of the reasons why we are where we are. He’s done a bit on the pitch but he’s done a lot off the pitch. He has been brilliant and we all thank him for that."

Can you score full marks on this higher or lower West Brom quiz? 

The Verdict: 

It would have been a tough decision to make for Bilic, but it's the right one I think.

Brunt has been a brilliant servant for West Brom, but they had better options available to them this season with the likes of Callum Robinson and Matheus Pereira being regulars in the starting XI this term.

I'm not surprised to hear that Brunt has made a significant impact off the pitch for West Brom, and his experience will be missed in the Baggies' squad.

Hopefully the club can win promotion for Brunt in his final season with the club, as he fully deserves to go out with success.