BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has showered praise on talismanic West Ham United duo Mark Noble and Marko Arnautovic after their performances against Manchester United on Saturday.
The pair were impervious against Jose Mourinho’s side at the London Stadium, with Noble having a hand in two goals and Arnautovic, on a reported £100,000-per-week in East London [Source: Spotrac], closing the scoring.
And Crooks was delighted with the duo: “Noble gave another captain’s performance against a beleaguered Manchester United – much to the delight of those who have a problem with Jose Mourinho,” he wrote on the BBC Sport website.
“There is something of Eric Cantona about Marko Arnautovic – but without the intimidating stare. The only other difference between these two mercurial characters is that one played for Manchester United and the other should have done. In the meantime, Arnautovic ripped United’s ‘fragile’ team to shreds,” he finished.
OPINION
Comparing Arnautovic to Cantona is quite a compliment for the Austrian international. The 29-year-old has been superb for the Hammers this season, and he was far too much for United’s overwhelmed backline. Like Cantona there is more than a touch of arrogance about Arnatuovic, but he’s been backing it up over the last year or so at West Ham. He’s obviously not quite on the outstanding level that Cantona consistently demonstrated during his time in England, but he’s become a Cantona-esque figure for the Hammers. He is such an important player for his team now and that was shown once again on Saturday. Noble, too, was superb against the Red Devils. He dominated the midfield, and along with Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang, he was too energetic and too technical for the United midfielders. Both men are vital to the success of West Ham this season, and Manuel Pellegrini will be delighted with the pair.
