Noble: We’re the best-ever Hammers

MARK NOBLE believes the current West Ham squad is the strongest he’s ever seen.

The club captain, in his 15th year with the Hammers, says the mix in the dressing-room – along with the quality of player on the bench – makes it the best he’s been involved with.

“I think it is the best crop of players we’ve had. Look around the changingroom, we’ve got a fantastic team,” he said. “But, more importantly, we have got a good set of professionals.

“Aaron Cresswell wasn’t even in the squad against Villa on Monday. Jack Wilshere was on the bench but didn’t come on. They’re England internationals. I think that shows the depth of quality.

“And, to be fair to those boys, they are grafting every day in training. They are adding to the team spirit we have got and pushing the likes of me, Manu [Lanzini] and Declan [Rice] to be better players. That’s what you need.

“It’s a fantastic group of players who have a really good mentality towards winning games – and I think it showed at Villa Park. We went at the game from the start.

“Villa have spent a lot of money and

Carrick’s love of a free- flowing attacking game always seemed at odds with Mourinho’s pragmatism.

The same goes for current Wales boss Ryan Giggs, who often looked detached in his spell as an a s s i s t a n t during Louis van Gaal’s rigid regime at United.

But hands-on Carrick now takes the lead in training sessions and is shaping United’s playing style day-by-day.

Solskjaer freely admits Carrick is directing the way young stars like Daniel James, Aaron Wan-bissaka, Scott Mctominay and Mason Greenwood are approaching their game.

And as he heads back today to where it all started as a youngster at West

Ham, Carrick, says Solskjaer, is the perfect right- hand man. “There have been many things that have some really good players but we moved the ball really well. Even when we went down to 10 men, we still played the same way. We tried to win the game, that’s what the manager asked of us.

“Last year we wouldn’t have got that result. We lost too many points away from home against the so-called lesser teams. We didn’t get a point from the first four games yet we could still have pushed into a Europa League spot.”

Hammers, who have not lost since the opening weekend, beat Manchester United 3-1 last season and Noble

(right) is not ruling out a repeat today.

“I value all of their opinions. M Michael’s got a great knowledge of foo football and gives me some great i insight. ih Of course, we played together and we’ve got the same experience of working under Sir Alex.

“But Michael has also had different managers here and elsewhere, so he can be a fantastic help to me – and has been.

“He has helped my integration and helped me understand the changes that have been made here in recent years.” “We know it’s going to be a tough one but we are four or five unbeaten now and we did well against them last year,” he said.

“Obviously, over the past couple of years it hasn’t been the Manchester United we all know.

“But look at the talent they have, the strike-force they have. They can turn up on any given day. And, I mean, they’ve just spent £80million on a central defender...

“That said, we’ve had a good win against Norwich and a decent point against Villa and we want to stay unbeaten.”