David Moyes has suggested that he was key to transforming West Ham star Marko Arnautovic into the player that he is today.
The former Irons manager was the first to play the Austrian in a central role for the club, and Moyes has argued that he helped turn Arnautovic into an “outstanding” player.
Speaking on beIN Sports, he said: “Look at what we did with Marko Arnautovic and he came on.
“Changed him from being a wide player and someone who maybe a lot of people thought was a bit sultry and didn’t perform that well.
“We got him to be a centre forward who was outstanding in that period, and in truth, I think could probably play for most of the top teams.”
Moyes defends his West Ham record, with the transformation of Marko Arnautovi? an example of his work.#beINPL #WHUFC ? HD11 pic.twitter.com/UE8hzfE0LI
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) March 17, 2019
OPINION
Moyes is probably right in some respects, but you can’t help feeling that the main reason why Arnautovic’s career has turned around so dramatically has been because of his own shift in attitude. To suggest that the Austrian was ever a poor player is a little misguided of Moyes, and there was certainly a reason why the Hammers chose to swoop for the attacker in the first place. During his time at Stoke City, he was often their best player by a country mile, but it was his attitude that let him down. Arnautovic’s playing style was, at that time, accompanied by a general sense of derision, a feeling that he was better than his surroundings, and probably deserved more. On the basis of his talent, you could maybe argue he was right, but talent will only get you so far, and that attitude also proved to be the main issue preventing him from becoming a top level player. His move to West Ham, however, seemed to herald a marked shift in his outlook, and it was this, and admittedly, to a lesser extent, Moyes’ decision to bring him into a more central role, that proved to be the factor that paved the way for his sudden spike in form.