West Ham skipper Mark Noble hits out at Premier League on Twitter
By Will Butcher
West Ham captain Mark Noble has criticised the Premier League’s system of bringing through young footballers.
The Times revealed that a study of 293 Manchester United academy players showed late developing footballers between the age of nine and 16 are 20 times less likely to be selected due to their size.
Posting on his personal Twitter account, Noble was outraged at the study’s findings as he believes some of the country’s best young talent is “slipping through the net”.
Noble, 29, believes it is detrimental to the country’s chances of finding the next best talent if they allow promising young stars to leave before allowing them to develop.
The study revealed that young footballers who developed at a later stage were less likely to be offered a contract, as clubs prefer players who are already developed at a younger age.
Noble, who has played for West Ham throughout his whole career after graduating from their academy in 2004, believes players should be given a chance to develop at their own speed.
Standing at 5ft 11in, Noble is just two games away from reaching a huge landmark of 400 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club.
The Hammers ace is expected to pull on the captain’s armband once again and lead his side out at the London Stadium on Saturday against Tony Pulis’ West Brom.
Noble has been key in his side’s resurgent league form which has seen them climb to ninth in the table, and a win against the Baggies will close the gap on the top eight to just two points.
In other West Ham news, fans have reacted on Twitter to reported interest in this 33-year-old international.
We’ve launched an << EXCLUSIVE TRANSFER WINDOW NEWS FEED>>. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all West Ham transfer news