It is 11pm and Mark Noble is sitting in his kitchen wide awake. While the football world is scrambling to find a solution for its return, the West Ham United captain is using his free time to give advice to the under-17s at Atlanta United.



In the video call, via Zoom, are 25 people, including academy director Tony Annan and Steven Covino, who coaches the under-14s. They all listen intently while Noble talks about his love for West Ham and his setbacks, and one person in particular is appreciative of his words of encouragement.



“We’re trying to keep our young boys engaged and active as much as possible, so we were pleased when there was an opportunity to get Mark online and do a Q&A with him,” says Atlanta’s Under-17 head coach Jack Collison. Just six years ago, Collison was a 25-year-old playing in midfield alongside Noble for West Ham. “It gave the boys an opportunity to ask him questions. The insight and knowledge he gave to these...