Celebrated former defender Terry Cooper has died at the age of 77.

He first joined Southampton as an assistant to Graeme Souness in the 1996/97 season alongside Phil Boersma, the trio having been teammates at Middlesbrough two decades previously.

Terry stayed with the club even after Souness’s departure, serving as a long-standing scout operating mainly in Europe, where his eye for a player helped Saints beat rival clubs to many successful signings.

A Saints statement said: "Southampton Football Club is saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Cooper. The thoughts of everybody at Southampton FC are with Terry’s family and loved ones."

The dependable left-back, who won 20 caps for England, played 351 times for Leeds United between 1964 and 1975, scoring 11 times.

One of those was the winning goal in the 1968 League Cup final against Arsenal and he also played a key part in the club’s First Division title win the following season.

Cooper made his Three Lions debut in 1970 and was the first choice left-back at the World Cup in the same year.

Also playing for Middlesbrough, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Doncaster, Terry managed both Bristol clubs in the 1980s, before taking charge of Exeter and Birmingham. He managed the Grecians to the Fourth Division championship in 1990.