Wednesday 10 August 2016 11:21, UK
Slaven Bilic believes Mark Noble has a chance to break into the England set-up this season as West Ham prepare for life in their new stadium.
The 29-year-old was overlooked by Roy Hodgson for England's ill-fated Euro 2016 campaign but with Sam Allardyce now in charge of the national set-up, Bilic says the West Ham captain can take the final step onto the international stage.
Noble won 20 caps at U21 level and captained the side at the 2009 European Championship finals but has yet to be recognised by the senior side.
Bilic said: "He's got everything, he's at the best age and he's captain of the club. He had a terrific season with many people - not only me - thinking he deserved to be in the squad; I didn't see many midfield players have a season like he did last year.
"He has a manger now in Sam Allardyce who knows how good and useful he can be, not only on the pitch but in the dressing room as well.
"But I have told all the players - like Aaron Cresswell and Andy Carroll - that they have all have a chance but they will not get in the England team because they had a good season last year; there is no yesterday in football. They have to play consistently well for West Ham or they are not going to play for England."
Bilic says his squad have developed a winning mentality - and believes that having retained Dimitri Payet, they can improve on last season's seventh-place finish in their new stadium.
He said: "It is a very dangerous one, it is the first season with a new stadium. We have to adjust. The atmosphere, we can't compare it with Upton Park but it is good.
"I was a little concerned about it because I know I played and I coached in this type of stadium, you have many of them in Europe like that and sometimes the atmosphere is not ideal but we have played two games there and you can feel the crowd.
"They are not as close as at Upton Park but you can feel them and the stadium will be packed. We are going to try to keep the spectators there with our performances. We are expecting big things.
"It won't come overnight. The new stadium, the new training ground and new goals - we have to continue to work hard to earn it.
"In keeping Dimitri Payet we have shown the club is serious and trying to get to another level, as much or even more than with the new stadium.
"West Ham was always labelled as a club that has to sell its best players, be it Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand or whoever. But we have kept Dimi, and we have shown to everyone that the club is thinking seriously."
