OPINION
When West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic is on form, he can inject fear into any team. He is unstoppable on his good day, and the fans no doubt want those types of days back at the London Stadium.
Clubs are going to be interested in the 29-year-old, that is an absolute given. Seeing as a couple of Chinese clubs were keen on signing him in January, it would not be a surprise if others jumped on the bandwagon.
Some of the supporters are no doubt divided over the future of the Austrian international. Many criticise his lack of effort regularly, but then again, it is safe to say that their attack would look very vulnerable without him there.
He was deployed in the wide position on Monday against Chelsea for the first time since Manuel Pellegrini took over as manager. This is not his preferred role, and this really showed in the first half.
However, come the second half when Javier Hernandez was taken off and Arnautovic moved to his central role, this is when we saw the best we have seen from him in a very long time.
This is why he must be chosen to lead the line on Saturday against Manchester United. Yes, he almost gave away a penalty when he bundled over Eden Hazard, but that would have been forgotten after the problems he caused Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger.
The Irons star really put a shift in, and he must rewarded after this mini-transformation. It is wise to for Pellegrini to capitalise on the good form Arnautovic is in rather than waste it.
That is not to say that Hernandez was poor on Monday, he wasn’t, and to be honest, he was unfairly taken off. Nevertheless, his substitution brought the best out of Arnautovic, and that is exactly what the fans have been waiting for for quite a few months now.
