Noble considering switch

  • by Staff Writer
  • Friday, 29th August 2014

West Ham United's Mark Noble is once again considering defecting to the Republic of Ireland after being overlooked for the latest England squad.

The 27-year-old midfielder is said to be considering giving up the chance to feature for England - whom he has previously captained at under 21 level on 20 occasions - in order to play for the Irish, according to the Mail.

Canning Town-born Noble qualifies to play for Ireland via one of his grandparents and is able to do so since a 2009 FIFA ruling declared players who have represented one country at youth and under-21 level can change their allegiance.

He first considered representing the Irish four years ago when still only 23-years-old, but decided against making himself available at that time.

Noble - who made his final appearance for England's under 21s at the 2009 European Championships, in which he captained the side beaten in the final by Germany - has never been picked at senior level for England.

Despite the careers of regular central midfielders such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard having come to an end, Noble was this week overlooked by Roy Hodgson in favour of players such as Newcastle's Jack Colback and Fabian Delph of Aston Villa.

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