Mark Noble's small gesture character and leadership of West Ham

There will be a lot said and written about Mark Noble throughout his final season as a West Ham player, and rightly so as he has been a fantastic footballer for the best part of two decades at the club.

Many will comment on the sheer number of games he has played for his boyhood club, well over 500, his excellent penalty record or his longevity.

Words like leader, example, or mentor will be thrown around and he is all of those things and more.

It is easy to hear those adjectives and become blasé about what they actually mean but to witness him behind the scenes, albeit fleetingly, was to truly understand how fortunate West Ham and their younger players are to have Noble for 12 more months.

The players were put through their paces at a five-day training camp in St Andrews before a friendly match against a Dundee.