Bilic backs Noble for spot in England's Euro squad

The 28-year-old midfielder has never won a senior cap for his country, but is an integral part of a West Ham team, that are sixth in the Premier League table, and has started 34 of their 35 league games so far.

Bilic backs Noble for spot in England's Euro squad

(Reuters)





He scored twice in the Hammers' 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, leading Bilic to pitch for his inclusion in England manager Roy Hodgson's squad for the June 10-July 10 tournament in France.

"There are no (English) midfielders who are having a better season than he is -- constantly, from the first game at Arsenal," Bilic said. "He's unbelievable.

"Is he a top quality player? Of course he is. Not only because he scored a couple of goals. It's every day, every game, every training session. He is top class."

Bilic, who managed his native country of Croatia before coming to England, said Noble's hard work and team ethic could prove invaluable on the international stage.

"I was an international coach for six years and the national team is not about the 23 best players in one country," Bilic said.

"It's also a team, especially in  the big tournaments where they are together for six weeks. It needs stars and lesser stars and all that. Mark is a great person also. He could help England."

England face Russia, Slovakia and Wales in Group B of the 24-team tournament.





(Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world