Report: West Ham ace Mark Noble’s days as a starter are numbered

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Mark Noble may find it hard to force his way back into the West Ham starting line-up according to a report from the Athletic.

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The 33-year-old is a Hammers legend. There is no disputing that.

After making his senior debut for West Ham in 2004, Noble has gone on to make 507 appearances for the club – 7th in the all-time list.

The midfielder’s powers are clearly waning, however. He has regressed over the past year or so.

Noble may well have to get used to a bench role at the London Stadium now with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek having forged a wonderful partnership.

The Athletic suggest that that is exactly the case and claim that the 33-year-old has his work cut-out if he to play a starting role for West Ham again.

Noble still has a huge part to play for the Hammers. His leadership skills both on and off the pitch are invaluable.

And it’s far too early to completely write him off as a player just yet. David Moyes would be foolish to think that his team is not stronger with the Canning Town born midfielder in and around the place.

Noble, who earns £50,000 per week at West Ham according to Spotrac, is out of contract in the summer. Moyes would be wise to keep him around for at least another 12 months after that, however.

And hopefully after that, the 33-year-old will move into the coaching ranks at the London Stadium. Whatever happens, let’s just hope that the day when Noble hangs up his boots is still a long way off yet.