Jake Livermore is proud to be a captain that his West Brom team-mates can call upon

The 30-year-old will celebrate four years at The Hawthorns in January after joining for an undisclosed fee from Hull in 2017.

During that time the midfielder has experienced all the highs and lows football has to offer.

That experience – alongside his professionalism – led to head coach Slaven Bilic appointing him his on-the-field captain at the beginning of last season.

And Livermore, who began his career at Tottenham, says he fully appreciates the roles and responsibilities that come with the job – with the armband something that makes him immensely proud.

“I remember being a young footballer myself – you look up to the manager but also to the captain because he is the focal point on the pitch, he is the one you go to in the changing room and he is the one who is more relatable,” he said.

“It has always been something I have valued.

“I have been fortunate enough to have some good captains in my career so far.

“I was spoiled at a young age coming through at Tottenham.

“Ledley King was my captain as a young boy.

“We were both injured at the same time and I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with him while we were both doing our rehab.

“He was one who was top draw on the pitch and off.

“He had a calming influence off the field, but he was also magnificent and led by example on the field as well.

“That is one that will stick with me throughout my career and throughout my life because he was the type of character you want on your side.”

Livermore, who has won seven caps for England, wants Albion’s players to know they can always talk to him if they have an issue.

“We have got 25 great boys in that changing room,” he continued.

“At any point, if they need a focal point to come and talk to or see – they can come to me.

“That is a responsibility that you can really take pride in. We had a few tricky moments last season on the way to promotion. I’ve had a few as captain.

“It’s how you bounce back from those moments and how you react to them.

“To keep those players onside – I hope I can be half the captain of some of those I have worked under before.”

Now 30 years old, Livermore feels it is easier to become a captain slightly later in your career.

“You end up evolving into the role,” he added. “If we were having this conversation at the start of my career then it would have been overwhelming.

But you go through your career and the games roll into weeks, the weeks into months and the months into seasons.

“Before you know it you are one of those experienced players in the dressing room.

“We’ve got a great squad of boys here and it’s an absolute pleasure to captain them.”