David Moyes shares verdict on Mark Noble after new West Ham deal signed
West Ham boss David Moyes was full of praise for his captain Mark Noble today in his pre-match press conference.
The club announced this week that Noble, 33, has signed a new one-year contract, which will take him to 18 seasons with the Hammers.
Noble has taken a bit of a step back this year with the emergence of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek in the middle and is now just four Premier League appearances short of 400 for the Irons in the top-flight.
Moyes is convinced that Noble will remain with the club even when his playing days are over. He said: “Will Mark be involved in West Ham in some capacity throughout the rest of his life? I have no doubt.
“The biggest thing about Mark is he’s handled himself incredibly well, and when we’ve called on him he’s been very good as well.
“I’ve said many times: Mark Noble will be around West Ham for as long as he chooses to be in some capacity. I don’t want to rule out the fact that he might play further. It’s Mark’s words – he sees it as probably his last season – but I hope that, if he is fit enough, he can continue.
“He’s certainly worthy of a contract for the effort he has put in over many, many years here.”
Mr West Ham
Noble will go down a club legend when he hangs up his boots. It’s excellent to see him sign a new deal, even if he has taken a backseat this season.
There is no doubting his presence in the dressing room and around the club as a whole are huge factors in our success. Noble has seen it all at West Ham – relegations, promotions, cup runs and stadium moves. He is a calming presence at the club and plays a role in keeping everyone in good spirits.
If we’re to go on and qualify for Europe next season, Nobes would definitely be getting more minutes. Two cups, the league and European football would be a lot to juggle, and given our lack of depth in centre midfield, he would absolutely feature more.
As he said in his open letter to the fans, he takes great pride in representing the club he grew up supporting. He’s one of us, the fans, and has been living all of our dreams for the past 17 seasons. Here’s to one more.
In other West Ham news, here is our predicted XI to face Manchester United.