If three months ago one was to suggest Marko Arnautovic could captain West Ham United you might have been sectioned.
But as West Ham enter a new year with the powerful Austrian leading from the front it no longer sounds so silly.
Eyebrows were raised when the Hammers splashed out a club record £25 million to sign the forward from Stoke City in the summer.
Many pointed to a lack of consistency and question marks over his attitude as concerns.
And they seemed to be proved right when he failed to shine early on in the season, getting sent off for an elbow in his second match at Southampton and finding himself out of form and favour.
But since David Moyes’ arrival and the implementation of a no-nonense approach at the London Stadium Arnautovic has been transformed.
Goals, assists and leading from the front in terms of workrate – he ran further than any West Ham player in the recent crucial win over West Bromwich Albion – the former Inter Milan youngster is turning into the Hammers’ talisman.
And comments from youngster Sead Haksabanovic on the club’s official website have suggested his influence on the team is not confined to the pitch on matchdays.
“Marko is helping me a lot, of course,” Haksabanovic told whufc.com.
“It’s good to have him here, as he’s helped me a lot, not only with my game but also with a lot of things outside of football.
“It has made it much easier to settle in England, for sure.”
The fact Arnautovic, despite his own struggles to establish himself after a record move, has gone out of his way to help one of the club’s emerging talents and help guide him speaks volumes.
While nobody is suggesting homegrown Hammer Mark Noble should be deposed as captain anytime soon, West Ham need as many leaders on the pitch as possible and Arnautovic seems perfectly capable of fulfilling the role if called upon.
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