Danny Higginbotham heaped praise on West Ham attacker Marko Arnautovic and shared that he thought the 29-year-old didn’t get the credit he deserved.
The 40-year-old, who regularly appears on Sky Sports, featuring on shows like The Debate and Match Centre, shared that he thought the player’s work off the ball was something that goes unnoticed and it sees him not get the credit that he warrants.
Higginbotham shared that in his opinion Arnautovic is consistently making progress and regularly impresses him as a result.
“I think Arnautovic is just a player that impresses me, he is progressing consistently and I think when he was at Stoke he became the talisman there but he was playing on the left-hand side but he’d then drift in just off the left-hand side and start getting involved more then,” said the Sky pundit on Match Centre (Sky Sports News, Thursday January 10, 10:36am).
“I think at West Ham I think it was David Moyes who put him as a centre-forward and he hasn’t looked back, I think sometimes he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, yes he is a goalscorer but he is such a willing runner as well whether it be if he is gambling on balls that are played long, whether it be pressing and I think that is something that goes unnoticed.
“I think that is why he is getting all this attention from top teams in the Premier League and why this bid has come in as well.”
OPINION
It’s no surprise that Higginbotham is clearly a fan of the Hammers forward but his praise is a little bold to say the least. Arnautovic is regularly showered in plaudits by fans and pundits so to say he doesn’t get the credit he deserves is rather bold. The Sky pundit may have a point regarding the fact Arnautovic’s off the ball work goes unnoticed as you do tend to focus on his goal record, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get enough credit. Everyone involved at the Hammers, and even neutral fans, are aware that Arnautovic is the club’s star man and regularly helps his side rack up points. As regards to the reported £35million that came from an unspecified Chinese club that Higginbotham references in his verdict, it was to be expected. Prolific forwards are worth their weight in gold and with Arnautovic still being the Hammers’ joint top goalscorer this season despite having injuries problems, of course clubs were going to try their luck in January.
