Noble committed to finishing career at boyhood club West Ham

West Ham United skipper Mark Noble has revealed his intention to finish his playing career at his boyhood club.

Noble, a product of the Hammers’ academy, made his full debut aged 17 and is six short of 400 first-team appearances.

He will be 33 when his contract expires in 2021, but Noble says he cannot envisage playing his football anywhere other than the London Stadium.

“I would like to finish my career here, that’s what I’ve always thought,” said Noble.

“I can’t see myself playing for another football team, but football is such a changing world so you can’t ever tell what’s going to happen next season.

“There aren’t many of us now, because football is forever changing, managers change and relegation battles mean players move on, so I think it would be very hard for players now to keep in the team they support and stay there after coming through the Academy. I can’t see it happening.

“I’ve managed to captain this fantastic club, which is something very few players get to do, captaining the club they support, so it’s a major honour for me. I don’t think I’ll appreciate it fully until I stop playing.”

(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Despite their difficult start in their new home at the London Stadium, Noble is pleased with their recent form.

“It’s been a tough season with ups and downs but we’re tenth in the league now and our form over the last couple of months has been fantastic, so we’re looking up,” he added.

“We just want to finish with many points as we can, and it would be nice to reach that 40-point mark as soon as possible, then we can really push on.”