Slaven Bilic tells underfire West Ham midfielder to go on holiday

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has revealed he has taken captain Mark Noble out of the firing line and told the midfielder to go on holiday after a testing campaign.

Noble, 29, is already ruled out of Saturday’s clash with Leicester due to a dead leg but the English midfielder has been granted an extended period of leave to clear his head.

The West Ham captain is a fan favourite but even his performances have seen sections of the home support turn on their homegrown hero and Noble risked upsetting them further after claiming some people don’t know a lot about the game.

“He got a kick on his dead leg against Bournemouth – it’s quite painful and he needs a rest,” The Daily Mirror quote Bilic as saying. “Did he need a break anyway? I spoke with him about that also.

“He is the captain and is doing everything for the club. He never hides on the pitch, he always wants the ball. He is exactly what a captain should be but sometimes it is too much. Sometimes he takes it home and thinks about that – not only about him but about the club.

“A man can take only what he can take basically. I spoke about that with him. He is not available for Saturday and after that we have an international break. I left it to him, his decision to go somewhere for a week and come back strong as he was.

“But I have no worries about Mark. He is our captain and gives everything for the club. He will be back very soon.”

Noble has often been a pillar of consistency for West Ham in recent years and there have been some calls for international recognition from supporters up and down the country. However, that boat does seem to have sailed.

A seasonal WhoScored rating of 6.59 in the Premier League is by far the lowest he has garnered in England’s top division since the 2009/10 campaign.

For more stats on Mark Noble, click here to visit his WhoScored player page