West Ham skipper has showered praise on Marko Arnautovic.
The Hammers fans are one of the most passionate fans in the country, and Noble says that if you can win the fans over, they can make you feel like a special player. At the same time, when you fail to hit the ground running, fans can turn against you.
Arnautovic joined the Hammers in the summer from Stoke City, and the Austria international struggled to make an instant impact under Slaven Bilic.
However, the 28-year-old has rediscovered his form under David Moyes, and has scored six goals in his last nine games in all competitions.
Noble, who has scored 49 goals for West Ham since making his senior debut in 2004, has hailed him as a “top player” who has won over the Hammers fans. The West Ham skipper is impressed with Arnautovic’s work-rate and says that he carries a swagger with him.
He says that Arnautovic is the type of player who makes a difference, and adds that the former Stoke City player is on the same wavelength as David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, and Mesut Ozil.
“I spent a lot of time on the phone with Marko. I’m not taking any credit for his turn-around because he has done that. He’s a top player. He’s won them over,” said Noble to the Daily Mail.
“His work-rate is incredible. If you know Marko, he talks a lot, he has his swagger, but he’s such a nice fella. I used to row with him when we played Stoke.
“We were losing and he was rolling his foot across the ball, doing the rabonas, the lot. I wiped him out on purpose and then I pulled him up by his hair. He stood up… he looked about 6ft 5in! I was like a 12-year-old next to him.
“We joke about it now. Like Manuel Lanzini, these are the players who make a difference. They are such good players. They are on the same wavelength, like Silva and De Bruyne at Man City, Ozil and Sanchez at Arsenal.”
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