West Ham United’s Marko Arnautovic is struggling at the moment.
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has admitted to The Daily Mail that Marko Arnautovic is enduring a “slow start” to his Hammers career – but has suggested that it’s mostly the Austrian’s fault.
The former Stoke City winger is yet to score or set up a goal since joining West Ham in a club-record £24 million switch this past summer.
On Saturday his Irons spell stooped to a new low after Bilic took him off at half time during their 1-1 draw at Burnley.
Bilic’s side only had 10 men at the time due to Andy Carroll’s first-half red card and the Croat insists that Arnautovic’s withdrawal was purely tactical.
However, the East Londoners boss suggested that the 28-year-old’s struggles can be traced back to a three-match ban he received earlier in the season for elbowing Southampton’s Jack Stephens in a 3-2 defeat at St Mary’s.
“Yes, he has made a slow start but that is because he got suspended for three games and then he missed the last game because of the flu he got,” he told The Mail.
“His slow start is because of his mistake. This [substitution] was just tactical: he didn’t go out because of a bad performance, he was taken off because my staff and I decided we needed an extra man in midfield. I think it was a good decision”
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