Graham Potter has paid tribute to Davy Propper after the former Albion midfielder announced his retirement.
The Dutch international spent four years with the club after joining in 2017, helping to establish the club in the Premier League and reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 2019.
He left in the summer to return to his former club PSV Eindhoven, having played 121 times for Albion including 95 appearances in the Premier League.
Potter said, “We spoke at length with Davy when he was here and supported him through a tough time in his life. It is not easy to start the process of thinking ‘maybe football is not the right thing for me.’ It is a big decision to make and I think Davy has made a brave one.
"He was a Dutch guy living in the UK in lockdown, so he didn't get to see much of his family and friends and that was an added pressure.
"For me, he was a great guy to have around, was always professional and was always trying. But that is life sometimes, these things happen and people want to do different things and I fully respect that.
"He had all our support while he was here and we wish him the best now. I have nothing but good things to say about Davy both as a professional and as a person.
“He will always be welcome back here at the Amex in the future and I’d like to wish him all the very best in whatever he does, on behalf of everyone at the club.”
Davy made more than 100 appearances for his first club Vitesse Arnhem after joining in 2010. He moved to PSV in 2015 and in two spells played nearly 100 games, including several in the Champions League.
He won 19 senior caps for Holland and was part of the squad which were runners-up in the 2019 Nations League.
Davy said, “During the period that I was abroad, I noticed that I slowly lost the pleasure of football. I found it extremely difficult to muster the discipline necessary to perform optimally and to let my life completely be determined by the busy football schedule. The corona period and the lack of visits from family and friends did me no good then either.
“I made the decision before Christmas and that feels like a relief. This is how I know it's the right choice."