West Ham icon Noble reveals why Hart once chased Rice around stadium and 'beat him up'

Banter is part and parcel of being a footballer but occasionally there are repercussions - especially when you mess with a 'mad' goalkeeper.

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Rice is now a fearless captain in east London but when he was 19 years old he was just as brave - even when greeted by a 'tank' like Hart.

And Noble, now sporting director at West Ham following his retirement as a player at the end of last season, explained just why the England interntional, now 24, got himself into big trouble with the current Celtic shot-stopper back in 2017/18.

Speaking to Fozcast - The Ben Foster Podcast, Noble said: "Harty will tell you this. We were doing a shooting session, the coach pings it at you, you have a touch and finish.

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"Dec must've been young, like 19 at the time, and he's had a touch and he's got a lovely strike on him. He's whipped one of them past Harty and Harty dived for it and didn't get there and he went 'Harty, one day son.'

"Harty went 'Dec, if you say that again I'm going to [beat you up].' It's come back to Dec and he's missed one, he's hit another one and it's gone in and I said 'go on, say it.'

"He went, 'one day, Harty' and I swear to you, Harty has just left him, sprinted across the pitch and Dec's took off down the tunnel, chased him the whole way around the London Stadium, like the whole way through it, got him and beat him up.

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"Harty was mad. He is such a tank, he is so strong. I played with him at England for all age groups and he's a top fella. He's just mad, they're all mad."

Rice has since become a star at West Ham, being appointed permanent captain this season after Noble's retirement and has become an undisputed starter for England in Gareth Southgate's midfield.

He has been linked with a move away from London Stadium, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in him.