Former West Ham United assistant manager Stuart Pearce has defended Hammers attacker Marko Arnautovic amid speculation over his future.
Arnautovic has been criticised as a troublemaker by some pundits recently as he weighs up a potential move away from the London Stadium.
Pearce has stuck up for him: “I think Marko is one of these individuals you can pre judge and build up an image without actually knowing him,” he told talkSPORT. “When you break those barriers down… he speaks seven languages, he’s a bright kid.
“When we’ve ever gone to him with things, he takes it on board. He goes away, he thinks about it, and he comes back and you can tell from the conversations you have with him that he’s thought it through away from football and come back. What he’s done last year for West Ham, and this year, I think he’s been outstanding, I really do.”
“You can prejudge Marko, but he speaks seven languages and is a bright kid.”
“When we went to him with things, he goes away and thinks it through.”
Stuart Pearce says Marko Arnautovic is not a troublemaker at #WHUFC ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/3UzeBFHGNy
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) January 17, 2019
OPINION
It’s nice to hear this from Pearce. Since the China speculation there’s been a lot of people eager to jump in and brand Arnautovic a dressing room nuisance. However, here’s someone who has experienced working with him day in day out who believes he is a good professional and an intelligent guy. Pearce, and David Moyes obviously, really helped get Arnautovic to where he is today. They were pivotal in turning him into the weekly difference-maker that he is now and so he knows what he’s talking about, here. The Austrian probably can be difficult at times, but from what Pearce says he’s a thoughtful individual who wants to improve. Like he says, Arnautovic is someone who people perceive in a certain way without really knowing him, and that’s unfair. So for Pearce to come out and defend him in this way is admirable, and it provides us with a much-needed fresh perspective on the 29-year-old.
