West Ham United captain Mark Noble has delivered a typically honest verdict on the transformation of Michail Antonio under David Moyes.
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Like he did with Marko Arnautovic, Moyes has turned Antonio into one of the most feared and prolific strikers in the Premier League since football returned from lockdown.
It is not just Antonio’s goals that have caught the eye at West Ham.
Mich makes West Ham tick
The man who has seemingly played everywhere except in goal for the Hammers is THE player that makes Moyes’s side tick.
Antonio’s powerful, pacy, hardworking displays are crucial to making Moyes’s new wingback formation effective.
But at 30 years of age and with problematic hamstrings, the reliance on Antonio often leaves West Ham teetering on the brink of problems.
The Hammers lost at Liverpool without him as he nurses his latest hamstring injury.
They managed to beat Fulham in his absence last time out.
But he was clearly missed.
Hammers miss their main man
What Antonio’s spell out of the side does is highlight his importance to West Ham and his transformation under Moyes.
Now West Ham skipper Noble has delivered his honest verdict on his teammate’s new lease of life as a lone forward.
But Nobes told talkSPORT Antonio’s striking success has been so fantastic it may even be tinged with a sense of regret.
“From lockdown when we’ve come back and he’s scored all them goals to keep us up… he deserved that (goal bonus he got for scoring 10 times) and the way he’s started this season it’s been incredible,” Noble told talkSPORT.
Noble says ‘incredible’ Antonio will be gutted he’s not five years younger
“Not only his power and strength, which we all know he’s got, but he’s actually adding a lot of goals to that now.
“The only thing I’d say is he’s probably gutted he’s not four or five years younger you know because he’s come on so much and we really do need him at this football club.”
It is a great and sobering point from Noble.
Imagine Antonio as a striker with this kind of game maturity and awareness at full tilt as a 25-year-old.
He would almost certainly be an England regular.
But in saying that Antonio should not have too many regrets.
This is a player that has had to work his way up from non-league and his career is a huge success story, nothing less.
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