West Ham captain Mark Noble's commitment to the cause is something that cannot be questioned, but following a statement from the club today it seems that his desire to play, no matter what, is borderline insane.
A statement on whufc.co.uk confirmed that Noble will miss West Ham's final two games of the season as he needs surgery to correct a double hernia which he suffered "some weeks ago" yet played on to ensure that the club survived the relegation scare they found themselves in.
West Ham's Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke confirmed that Noble saw a specialist before the Tottenham game who informed him that immediate surgery was needed, but Noble still played in the game.
Mark has been playing in pain, but he is the captain and he wanted to do everything he could to ensure the Club retained its Premier League status.
Mark is as brave as they come and he ignored the pain as best he could, but the Premier League takes it toll.
We attended an appointment with the specialist on the evening before the Tottenham game and it was deemed that the surgery was now urgent, he played in the game and played a big part in our victory that ensured the Club's safety.
Incredibly, it seems that Noble sustained the injury long before the Spurs game.
Vandenbroucke's working that the injury was 'now urgent' ahead of that game at the London Stadium suggests Noble had been battling on for a while, and rumours have been circulating that the England U21 international may have been playing for up to four months with this double hernia injury.
A West Ham ITK account that accurately predicted Noble's unavailablity for the remaining games claimed that he has been suffering for a long time, without informing manager Slaven Bilic.
Mark Noble will miss the last two games of the season due to a double hernia operation which he has had for 4 months and kept from Slav
— ExWHUemployee (@ExWHUemployee) May 11, 2017
In case you were unaware, a double hernia is ridiculously painful, the idea that he played with it for four months is crazy.
That report saw a mixed reaction from West Ham fans, with some hailing him as a hero who would rather seriously injure himself than be unavailable in a relegation battle, with others calling his actions stupid and irresponsible, as he could have done long-lasting damage to himself.
In all honesty it's a bit of both, but if he is fit and able to play for the start of next season then it will no doubt be the correct decision for the player himself.
Amazingly, Noble's performance against Spurs, where it was clear that he needed urgent surgery, was labelled by many his best of the season.
"Marky Nobes" bleeds claret and blue.
