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Could Mark Noble’s future be in doubt if West Ham sign Yaya Toure?

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic (REUTERS)
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West Ham United have been linked with a move for the Ivory Coast international.

Manchester City's Yaya Toure in action

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, West Ham United are interested in signing Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure this summer, but what would the Ivorian’s arrival mean for Hammers skipper Mark Noble?

After all, the 30-year-old may be three years younger than Toure, but he has done little to justify his place in the match day squad for much of the campaign.

On his day Noble can be a highly effective option in the centre of the park for West Ham, but those days are currently few and far between, and despite a recent upturn in form, he is arguably the midfielder most at risk if Toure does arrive.

That is purely hypothetical at this stage, but an in-form Toure could be exactly what Slaven Bilic needs to shake up his under-performing midfield.

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic

As club captain that job should be Noble’s, but he has rarely done that, with five goals and two assists this season a record that does not exactly set pulses racing.

Toure may be more defensive-minded now, but he could form an effective partnership with Cheikhou Kouyate; something that Noble has been unable to do thus far.

West Ham United's Mark Noble