'You can’t rely on me': West Ham player makes bold admission after FA Cup defeat

'You can’t rely on me': West Ham player makes bold admission after FA Cup defeat - originally posted on Sportslens.com

West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup on Saturday following their 1-0 defeat against West Brom.

After the match, West Ham midfielder Mark Noble has made a bold comment.

The 32-year-old midfielder has been a key player for the Hammers, and has made 20 Premier League starts this season. He has scored four goals and has provided one assist.

He has said after the match that the Hammers should not rely on him at his age after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by West Brom.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Noble said: “I’m 33 in May. I’ve been doing this for 15/16 years of my life. It’s half my life.

“At a club at this level with the money we’ve spent, you can’t rely on me. You can’t rely on me to come on at half-time during an FA Cup game – that shouldn’t be like that.

“The manager knew I had played three games in a week, and we’ve got two big games at home.

“I spoke to him yesterday and he said he would be putting me on the bench today to save my legs.”

The Hammers skipper cut a frustrated figure at the full-time whistle. Initially, the plan was to rest the midfielder but Moyes introduced him in place of Carlos Sanchez following a shocking performance from the Colombian midfielder.

West Ham have now gone four games without a win in all competitions, losing three of them.

While it can be argued that Noble is bound to serve the club in every possible way that are paying his wages, it also reflects West Ham’s lack of depth in midfield.

The Hammers are heavily reliant on Declan Rice and Noble this season. West Ham are keen to sign a midfielder this month, and it remains to be seen whether Moyes can sign someone before the window slams shut.