Darren Gough has insisted that Yorkshire will still be able to attract quality players to the club despite their relegation to Division Two.

But the interim managing director of cricket at Headingley is bullish about recruiting new talent.

“It won’t be a problem,” said Gough. “It’s Yorkshire County Cricket Club.”

The former England fast bowler told BBC Radio Leeds: “Agents are ringing me all the time about players who want to come and play for us.

“These are players who are already in Division One next year and I can’t talk to them yet because they are still under contract.”

Gough also pointed to the number of players who have signed new contracts in the last few months, including England players Joe Root, Dawid Malan and Harry Brook, as proof of players’ commitment to Yorkshire despite their diminished red-ball status.

“Ten players have re-signed this year and not one of them has got a relegation clause in there,” he said. “Not one.

“We’ve also signed Shan Masood, Matt Milnes and Ben Mike and not one of them wanted written in that if we were in Division Two, they wouldn’t be at the club.”

Gough arrived last December following the huge fallout from the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal in which 16 people left the club, including director of cricket Martyn Moxon and head coach Andrew Gale.

Former West Indies and South Africa head coach Ottis Gibson was appointed as the new head coach and oversaw a difficult campaign.

‘Heartbroken for the players’

The White Rose did reach the T20 Blast finals day for the first time in six years, and the Northern Diamonds won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final at Lord’s, but the red-ball side won only one of their 14 Championship games.

And it allowed Warwickshire to overtake them thanks to Liam Norwell’s 9-62 on the last day.

“Performances are judged on where you finish in the County Championship and unfortunately for us, we got relegated,” said Gough.

“It’s gut-wrenching. I’m not underestimating the way that made me feel for four or five days afterwards.

“I was heartbroken for the players. It’s been difficult for them, there’s no doubt about that. We got that initial lift when we came in but when you have senior players out of contract it can become a very difficult situation and unfortunately we weren’t good enough.

“When you can’t bowl teams out and you can’t make enough runs, there’s a good chance you’ll get relegated and it happened.”