Mark Noble will undergo abdominal surgery and miss the remaining matches of the season.
The official club website made the announcement with the midfielder delaying going under the knife until relegation was finally avoided.
According to the statement Noble had been playing through the pain barrier for a number of matches which will come as little surprise to Hammers fans.
When the review of the season is put together there will be few more vital periods than the 1-0 wins over Burnley and Hull before Christmas- with Noble’s goals contributing six priceless points.
Anything less than full points from those two matches- with the Dimitri Payet saga being played out in the background- could have resulted in some very uncomfortable times going into the new year.
Noble only scored one other Premier League goal but with quality scoring over quantity that December double will never be forgotten by every fan that struggled through that period when the team seemed drawn towards the drop.
