The West Ham United forward has been in superb form over the past few months.
Hammers ace Marko Arnautovic sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and admitted that the criticism he received during the early stages of his West Ham career hurt him, and adversely affected his performances.
The Austria international has put his tricky start behind him, however, and has now firmly established himself as one of David Moyes’ most important players.
Arnautovic has chipped in with seven goals and three assists in 20 Premier League games this season, and has formed a wonderful understanding with Manuel Lanzini, with the two combining on the same wave-length.
He spoke to the club’s official website about his difficult start to life in east London, and admitted that he was hurt by criticism from the Hammers faithful during his first few months at the London Stadium:
“It hurt me in the beginning when I heard people whistling me in the stadium because they expected me to do better, but now I am playing for my team and playing for the fans because the fans are a big part of this Club. They pay a lot of money the whole year to come and watch us and, of course, they want us to perform. Of course, not all the fans can love you, because everyone has their own favourite. Personally, I have always loved my fans and had a good relationship with them, because they give you the good feeling on the pitch and, without them, you are nobody in football.”
Next up for West Ham is a daunting trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday, and the Austrian will have to be at his very best if his side are to have any chance whatsoever of leaving Merseyside with anything to show for their efforts.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
