Club captain and stalwart of over 350 Premier League appearances for the Hammers faces the very real possibility of being left out of the matchday squad on Saturday for the visit of Manchester City, despite being fully fit.
Despite his legendary West Ham status, Noble has found his opportunities few and far between this season, seeing just 71 minutes of league action.
Now with Said Benrahma’s arrival and Sebastien Haller seemingly fit to take his place in the squad, Noble could find himself outside of the 18.
In many ways, this potential watershed moment has been on the cards for some time. The emergence of Declan Rice has seen him take the captain’s armband in Noble’s absence, followed by the signing of Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague, leaving the 33-year-old Noble watching on from the bench.
Without the central midfielder, the Hammers reinforcements, should Benrahma go straight into the side, would likely contain Darren Randolph, Sebastien Haller, Issa Diop, Robert Snodgrass, and Ryan Fredericks.
The remaining two players who have earned the right to remain at the very least on the bench after last weekend’s miraculous comeback, Manuel Lanzini, and Andriy Yarmalenko.
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Noble’s potential omission would leave Irons boss David Moyes low on experience and a rigid central midfield option, but with a host of attacking outlets.
Whilst it’s difficult to argue either Rice or Soucek should make way for Noble in the starting XI, no club leader on the bench certainly leaves a void should either central man need to be replaced.
If this fixture last term is anything to go by the Hammers are likely to require a well-organised performance against Manchester City, and should the game remain in the balance heading into the final knockings, Noble’s know-how off the bench could well prove pivotal.
Should the man affectionately known as ‘Mr. West Ham‘ miss out on Saturday, by no means does it mean the end of his long Irons journey, however, it would act as a startling sign of the midfielders changed role within the squad.
Just last season he made 33 Premier League appearances and for much of the first half of the season remained one of the first names on the Moyes teamsheet.
