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Mark Noble: I want to end my career at West Ham

Hammer | Mark Noble is closing in on 400 West Ham appearances: Getty Images
Hammer | Mark Noble is closing in on 400 West Ham appearances: Getty Images

West Ham captain Mark Noble has expressed his desire to finish his playing career with the Hammers, admitting turning out for another club would be "funny".

Noble, who turns 30 in May, is West Ham's current longest-serving player and was made captain of his boyhood club last summer.

He is closing in on making 400 appearances for the east Londoners - a feat only 18 players before him have achieved - and the Canning Town-born midfielder has admitted he has realised his dream of playing for West Ham, but still hopes to end his career with the club.

Speaking to West Ham's official website, Noble said: "To me, looking at myself at the age of nearly 30, I’ve still got a contract until I’m 33 and thinking about playing for another football club would be funny – I think Steven Gerrard said that as well.

"Walking around the place, I know all the coaches at Under-7, Under-8 and Under-9 level, sometimes I go and watch the youngsters train and I feel like I’ve been there and done it myself, coming up through the ranks with the Club.

"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 since I stop playing.

"There aren’t many of us now, because football is forever changing, managers change and obviously 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 would like to finish my career here, that’s what I’ve always thought. 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.

"As I said, I’ve got three years left on my deal here and I’m not sure my body will let me go far past the age of 33, to be honest!"