Steve Potts has been appointed as West Ham United's Under-21 coach following a re-structuring in the Hammers' backroom set-up.
He will now work alongside head of coaching Terry Westley in overseeing the Hammers' development squad.
And Westley praised the appointment of the 47-year-old, who first joined the Hammers in 1983 before making his first-team debut two years later at the age of 17.
He told the club's website: "At Under-21 level we believe you need coaches rather than managers, so Steve has joined the Under-21s as a coach and will continue to work across age groups.
"We believe he can still work with the Under-16s and Under-18s which will benefit them. His knowledge and experience can really help them. His work with the Under-21s is also important so there is a sense of continuity. So that is first in my mind."
The academy manager added: "Steve is committed to the club; he's got two boys in the system, Freddie at Under-11 Dan in the Under-21s. Given the amount of times he played for the club he is a legend.
"He's dedicated and hardworking and a very important member of staff at the academy. Hopefully these conditions will help him to flourish. I want to see our staff work across a number of age ranges."
Potts is a former Hammers captain and made more than 300 appearances for the club. As a coach, he led the club's Under-18 side to the Under-18 Premier League play-offs last season and has worked within the Hammers' academy structure since 2011.
