The West Ham United hitman was in poor form against Everton yesterday.
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini addressed the media last night, after his side’s woeful home performance against Everton, and insisted that the club’s fans were booing the team as a whole, rather than just singling out Marko Arnautovic for criticism, as quoted by Football.London.
The Austrian striker has quite simply not been at the races since January, when he was linked with a big money move away from the London Stadium to China.
Arnautovic has since become somewhat of an unpopular figure amongst the Hammers fanbase, and yesterday’s display against Everton led to further criticism from pundits and fans alike.
West Ham boss Pellegrini defended the 29-year-old, however, when speaking to reporters after the game, insisting that the club’s fans were unhappy with every single player yesterday, as quoted by Football.London:
“The fans boo when they are not happy with the performance of the team. This case it was Marko as the two changes were at half-time so they couldn’t do it. I think we cannot believe the performance was one player as the team played the way they did today. Marko Arnautovic was not guilty why we lose the game.”
Arnautovic was substituted off with a third of the game still remaining yesterday, and he must start to show that he is committed to the cause between now and the end of the season, if he is to get the West Ham fans back onside.
The Austria international recently signed a new contract with the Hammers, but as things stand, his future in east London is uncertain to say the least.
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