West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has claimed that Hammers skipper Mark Noble “absolutely loves” Chelsea ace Mason Mount.
The young England international, who used to be on the books at Stamford Bridge, is known to have a close friendship with the playmaker, with the two facing off for the first time when the Irons play the Blues on Saturday.
And Rice has suggested that veteran colleague Noble is a fan of the young Chelsea midfielder.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “Mark Noble, our captain, absolutely loves Mase so much.
“He’s speaking about him all the time.”
OPINION
Rice and Mount are like two peas in a pod, and their friendship transcends the usual rivalries of Premier League football. All of that will go out the window for 90 minutes on Saturday though, with the Hammers desperately needing to put this run of seven games without a win to bed. To be fair to Noble, it is easy to see why he is such a big fan of Mount. The youngster has really kicked on this season under Frank Lampard, and he looks every inch the top tier Premier League playmaker. With 2.6 shots and 1.8 key passes per game so far this season, as per Whoscored, he is a constant threat, and one that Noble and Rice will have to work hard to nullify this weekend. Their best hope is that he has a shocker, but given his form of late, it could well be that they have to be at the very top of their games to keep him quiet.
