Manuel Pellegrini: 'Mark Noble has a back problem'

West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that Mark Noble could miss Saturday's Premier League game with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium due to a back problem.

Pellegrini, speaking at his pre-match press conference, stated that Noble had 'a back injury', although the midfielder has not officially been ruled out of the match.

Noble has come in for criticism from the West Ham fans in the early stages of the season, with the 31-year-old struggling to make his mark in the defeats to Liverpool and Bournemouth.

Noble made 33 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers last term, and is closing in on 450 games in total for the club that he has represented for the last 18 years.

West Ham's last away Premier League victory over Arsenal was a 2-0 success on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 campaign.