The Hammers veteran admits all three were quality players but the Reds legend was the best of the harvest.
West Ham’s Mark Noble considers Steven Gerrard narrowly edges out Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard as it pertains to which of those three midfielders were improved.
Boasting a selection of similar features, the three midfielders were hard to separate for quality on the pitch but having played against all them, Noble admits the crown must visit the former Reds captain.
“Trust me when I say you realise how great a player is when you play against them,” Noble said in a Q and A from West Ham’s Twitter accounts when asked to select between the trio.
Noble also called Gerrard as the best player he has come up against while listing Carlos Tevez and Dimitri Payet as the best he has played alongside.
Brazilian legend Kaka has also put Gerrard over Lampard and Scholes when asked to select between both earlier this season.
“Since we had this challenge involving ourselves in 2005 and 2007, I truly admire him.
“Obviously, Lampard was fairly amazing, Scholes the timeless. But I’ll have Gerrard.”
Going against the grain, former Portugal global Deco believes Scholes should find the nod because of his distinctive style of play and ability to fit into any side.
“I played with and against so many fantastic players in midfield like Gerrard. I had the chance to play with Lampard together at Chelsea,” Deco was quoted as saying in 2016.
“I think since he had been a different sort of participant to all other kinds of English midfielder, Paul Scholes was the best player that I saw playing with the English midfield and among the best players on the planet.
“There aren’t so many players using this style because I believe the majority of the players are box-to-box, not about controlling the game, maintaining the balance of the group.
“Maybe it is the generation, but I believe this sort of player always exists. England has lots of fantastic players. What I say is that in midfield, with his style, Scholes could play any club.”
