Former West Ham manager David Moyes has raved about striker Marko Arnautovic, claiming his decision to play the 29-year-old through the middle saw him change ‘completely.’
Arnautovic joined the Hammers for a then-club-record fee of £24million from Stoke in the summer of 2017, and endured a slow start to his time at the club under Slaven Bilic.
Moyes’ introduction however saw the Austria international burst to life and he has become a key player for the Irons since then, with the former boss now raving about his resurgence.
Speaking on Alan Brazil’s Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT, he said: “I think his change from being a winger or a wide player to a centre-forward has really reinvented him. When we got in there and put him at centre-forward, he changed completely: his effort, his energy.
“To be fair when we arrived at West Ham, the punters weren’t having him. They thought that he wasn’t going to run around. And to be fair if you’d watched him a lot at Stoke you would have questioned him.
“The minutes he’s gone centre-forward he’s been a revelation. He can score, he’s powerful, he’s quick, his energy.”
OPINION
Arnautovic has clearly been West Ham’s best and most important player over the past ten months or so. As Moyes points out, the Austria international did not enjoy an ideal start to his career at the London Stadium, with the 29-year-old really struggling to live up to his price tag with some disappointing displays under Bilic. Arnautovic has since lived up to that £24million tag and more, with the powerful attacker playing a huge part in their successful end to the season which saw them avoid relegation. That form has continued so far this season, with Arnautovic scoring on a regular basis for the Hammers, although a chronic knee injury is threatening his season. With regards to Moyes’ comments on his switch from winger to striker, it is in all honesty a miracle that no manager before the Scot made such a change. Arnautovic’s talents have always been wasted on the wings, with his power and finishing ability making him a perfect centre-forward.
