Bristol City CEO Mark Ashton has revealed why the club decided to part ways with Marlon Pack in the summer, in an interview with BristolLive.

Pack moved across the bridge to Cardiff City, where he has been a mainstay for the Bluebirds during the season so far as he has made 13 appearances and scored one goal for the Robins' rivals.

Ashton said: "The easy thing to do would have been to keep Marlon because there was no pressure from Steve and Maggie to sell anyone.

"But as a manager who wants to move us forward, part of the thought process with Marlon was that he’s been a really good servant to this football club but if he’s not here, then Han-Noah plays and that is what has happened, that is part of the thought process and it keeps us moving forward.

"At that point it was about getting the best value which we did."

Pack had made the move from Cheltenham Town to Ashton Gate in the summer of 2013 and made 282 appearances for the Robins, scoring 12 goals, as he became accustomed to the holding midfield role.

Test your knowledge of Bristol City with this quiz - Can you get 20 out of 20?

At the age of 28 now, Bristol City bravely made the decision to move on one of their senior players and have instead chosen to assemble one of the best young midfields outside of the top flight, with the likes of Han-Noah Massengo, Josh Brownhill, Adam Nagy, Kasey Palmer, Callum O'Dowda and Niclas Eliasson all bringing a variety of options to Lee Johnson.

The midfielders currently on the books of Bristol City this season have all rightfully earned praise from the Robins supporters this season as being one of the bright sparks from their season.

The Verdict

With Pack ageing and getting closer to 30, the key figures at Bristol City made the decision to sell Pack on and instead invest their time in developing the young talents that they had at Ashton Gate, or were intending to bring to the club.

By letting the 28-year-old go to Cardiff, the Robins have managed to create a midfield that has plenty of Premier League talent in the making as they continue to chase their dreams.