Former Scotland international defender Steven Pressley will join Brentford on 1 July as Head of Individual Development. Steven, 47, holds the UEFA Pro Licence, the top coaching qualification, and will take up a key position on the Club’s football staff. He will be responsible for monitoring the individual development programme of Brentford’s high potential players.

Rasmus Ankersen, Brentford FC Co-Director of Football, said: “I am pleased that Steven will join us and help take our individual development programme to the next level. His experience both as a player and as a coach will be a big asset for our young players in their pursuit to reach their full potential.”

Thomas Frank, Brentford FC Head Coach, added: “I am looking forward to getting Steven in and working with him. He is a very experienced coach who thinks not only as a Head Coach but also in terms of the development of the team and of the players. He has experience of developing players over many years and his results are very impressive. We are looking forward to working with him and lifting the individual development of our players to another level, we want to be up there with the very best.”

Steven has had a long and illustrious career both as a player and a coach, working with a variety of clubs in different countries. He is best known for his time at Heart of Midlothian, where he played more than 250 Scottish top flight games, but he also featured for Coventry City in the Premier League and Danish Superliga side Randers. Steven also played for both of Scotland’s Old Firm – Rangers and Celtic.

His playing career saw him earn 32 caps for Scotland, after playing 26 times for the Under-21 side. Steven is in the Hearts Hall of Fame and won the Scottish title three times, as well as three Scottish Cups with three different clubs. He acted as Caretaker Manager at Hearts during his time with the Edinburgh side and moved in to coaching full-time when he retired from playing in 2009.

Steven’s first managerial role was at Falkirk and he has also held the reins at Coventry, Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United. His coaching experience has included spells in Cyprus, with Pafos FC, and with the Scottish national team. Steven’s son Aaron is a member of the Brentford B squad and has made three appearances for the First Team this season.