West Ham captain Mark Noble has described his shock over the departure of former academy director Tony Carr.
The 65-year-old was instrumental in bringing England internationals to the club which included the likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick.
And after 43 years of service Carr left his role as club ambassador after being told the position was no longer full time.
Noble told the Daily Mail: “I first saw it in the papers, it was a shock to me.
“I don’t know what’s gone on in the background. I’ve been in Austria for two weeks solind but what I can say is I know Tony very well.
“He’s a fantastic man, a great servant to the club.
“As we all know the players he’s brought through in the last 20, 25 years have been phenomenal.”
West Ham fans spelled out their anger online as it was revealed Carr has labelled the minimum redundancy payment of £14,000 offered to him as paltry.
Noble added: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Tony and seeing how he is. I don’t know what’s gone on between him and the club.
“My own personal experience with Tony have been fantastic. He has helped me become the player I am today.”
The Club confirmed that he had left his position with immediate effect after his two-year contract came to an end.
Chairman David Gold took to twitter to explain the reasoning to the Hammers fans.
We offered Tony an ongoing part-time ambassadorial role. He declined. But he’ll always be welcome at the Club. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) July 27, 2016
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