Conor Coventry reveals what West Ham ‘legend’ Mark Noble said to him after failed loan spell
West Ham United have a rather settled midfield partnership right now with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek looking invincible together in claret and blue.
But away from the London Stadium, there is a Hammer who is really making a claim for some senior team action having led the Under-23s for some time.
That comes in the shape of 22-year-old Irishman Conor Coventry who has been one of League One’s best players since his January move to Milton Keynes Dons on a temporary basis.
The season didn’t start well for Coventry though having failed to break into Peterborough United’s Championship side, causing his loan deal to end during the winter window.
He has since revealed what club captain Mark Noble said to him after he returned from Posh that reignited the fire within and has since seen him flourish at Stadium MK.
“I spoke to Mark when I went back to West Ham and he boosted my confidence,” Coventry said in an interview with The Athletic. “He spoke to me about the loan spell at Peterborough and tried to remind me how good I am.
“He wanted to make me feel good about myself again. If things weren’t going well and I needed someone to talk to, Mark would be there for me.”
Rice 2.0
If the continuous interest in Rice eventually pays off and he leaves the club, then David Moyes shouldn’t automatically look to the transfer market for his replacement.
A large reason for the affection Rice has among West Ham supporters is that he came through the club’s academy (albeit after being released by Chelsea).
Fans of every football club will always have a little more patience with a homegrown prospect and it has paid dividends in a massive way with the England international.
He might have not lit up the Championship like he was hoping but it wasn’t poor performances by any stretch of the imagination, he just wasn’t being given the chances.
Now Coventry has got a run of games, he’s proved just how good he can be and Moyes will be very much liking what he is seeing from the Irishman.
It would be a gamble to throw him into the senior side next season but pretty much every decision in football is a gamble nowadays and this is one that will work out with just a smidgen of patience.
In other West Ham news, this incredible stat from a player in La Liga has proven Moyes right in his team selection.
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