Jesse Lingard revived his career during his loan spell at West Ham.
The Manchester United midfielder has credited Mark Noble for the warmness he received in London, where he contributed nine goals and got back into the England frame after call-ups from manager Gareth Southgate.
The 28-year-old obviously enjoyed his stint with the Hammers and he has now revealed how a training session made Noble, 34, stand out for the onlooking outsider.
Writing for The Players Tribune, Lingard explained: “Then there’s Mark Noble. Let me tell you about Nobes. He’s got banter, or at least he thinks he does.
“He had it in for me from the time the gaffer called me Golden Boy in training.
“We were doing boxers and the ball went out. I touched it last, but David Moyes was like, ‘No, no, no, Jesse doesn’t have to go in the middle. He’s our Golden Boy!’
“After that Nobes was after me! Seriously though, he took me under his wing and explained to me what West Ham is all about.”
Our coverage of Noble down the years has been mostly negative – for his play acting in games against United, like Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson trying to portray himself as a hard man.
The man who missed a stoppage-time penalty against United already this season is playing his last campaign as a professional after 18 years with the Hammers, and while he has not played as much as he would have liked in the past 10 months, it goes without saying that Noble has a huge influence on the dressing room.
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