West Ham United manager David Moyes has been left delighted by the news of Mark Noble being appointed as the club's sporting director.

The Lowdown: Noble returns to West Ham...

The Hammers legend hung up his boots at the end of last season after 18 years of service in east London.

Noble made a phenomenal 550 senior appearances for West Ham in that time and wrote his name into Irons folklore as a result, but as per a recent club announcement, that is not the last that supporters have seen of the east London favourite.

Indeed, the club officially confirmed that their former midfield mainstay is set to return in an off-field role. Noble has been appointed sporting director in what is a bold move by the West Ham hierarchy, with the 35-year-old set to begin his new role in January.

The Latest: Moyes thrilled...

Speaking to the media (via football.london), Hammers manager Moyes expressed his delight at the decision and said that the club 'should be pleased' to have kept the former captain involved in an off-field capacity.

He explained: "I think West Ham United should be pleased to have Mark Noble as part of the club as well because he’s a great ambassador, he’s been a great player and we hope that he’ll go on to be a very good working sporting director.

"You’ve got to remember, Mark is only new, so we have got to give him time to train up to be a sporting director, he’s only just had a little bit of time out from being a player. He’s got a bit of work to do, a bit of training to do but I’m really looking forward to working with him."

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The Verdict: Great move...

Some members of the media have hailed Noble's appointment as an 'exciting' one, and we're inclined to agree.

You'd be hard pressed to find a candidate who knows the ins-and-outs of the club better than their former captain who spent nearly 20 years at Rush Green.

Indeed, who better to run their sporting affairs than Noble, given his status as 'Mr West Ham'.