Geoff Horsfield's ties were finally severed with Albion yesterday when he agreed to join Derby on loan until the end of the season.

Sheffield United signed the 32-year-old striker on loan until the end of the season in February in a deal that committed them to signing him on a permanent basis for a fee of £1.25 million during the summer.

However, after just five weeks at Bramall Lane the gregarious Horsfield has been left stunned by Neil Warnock's decision to leave him out of the first team squad and send him on gardening leave.

With Horsfield left twiddling his thumbs in his Lichfield home earlier this week, there was a school of thought that Albion could cancel the deal and recall him to help in their relegation battle.

However, a definitive statement sent out from the club yesterday said there was to be no reneging on the deal by either party and the decision to send him to Derby until the end of June extinguishes any last hopes of a return for the popular striker.

Suggestions that Horsfield has fallen out with Warnock have left the Albion centre-forward shocked after just one start and four substitute appearances for the Blades.

Despite the fact Warnock has said publicly that he wants Horsfield to stay away from the training ground, he has a two-year deal that will kick in on July 1.

"I just want to play football," said Horsfield. "The last thing I want to do is sit on my backside at home on 'gardening leave.'

"The manager has spoken to the press and said he doesn't want me anywhere near the training ground. That is his opinion but I am not interested in getting into a war of words with him.

"It's a bizarre situation as I was there five weeks and only started one first team game, so I wasn't really given a chance.

There was no chance of me ever coming back to Albion, so I intend to enjoy my seven games at Derby and see what happens next."

Meanwhile Curtis Davies has praised the role that Nigel Pearson has played in his development at Albion this season. The 21-year-old centre-half has gone from being a promising League One player to a Premiership and England Under-21 star in less than a year.

He found it tough going against Manchester United in their last fixture, but has been Albion's best defender this term. As well as the astute words of Robson, Davies has benefited from Pearson's wisdom.

Albion's second-in-command was a central defender of some repute in his playing days with Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday and Davies intends to reap the benefit of his experience.

He said: "Nigel has a big influence. There are different parts of my game I still need to work on and he tries to put little things right when he sees them going wrong.

"It is good to have someone that has actually played in your position rather than a coach just coaching it.

"He has played at the top levels. I wouldn't say he is critical; I would describe it as being extra helpful.

"If you have done something wrong he won't shout at you and tell you that you shouldn't be doing that. Instead he will put you on the right path.

"If you keep making mistakes then he will have to put you right, but he focuses on positives rather than negatives."