Marko Arnautovic was at the centre of a bizarre incident in the 77th minute at Windsor Park on Sunday night as Austria took on Northern Ireland in the UEFA Nations League.
Rangers Defender Gareth McAuley seemed like he tried to choke the West Ham striker who had just come on as a 71st-minute substitute.
McAuley was the transgressor as he strangled Arnautovic after the duo clashed for a high ball although one commentator amusingly described it as a good old-fashioned Ireland hug.
In a post-match interview, Arnie was asked: “What happened with you and McAuley?”
Arnautovic replied: “I’m not sure, he tried to choke me, or fight me, but it is not a good idea to fight me!”
Arnautovic admitted in the same post-match interview that Austria manager asked him to play 25 minutes if needed. He told Sky Sports “I will be okay. Two days in a row was a bit too much but the gaffer asked me to play the last 25 minutes if needed, and it was needed. I am glad I could help.”
ClaretandHugh says: Whenever I see the name Marko Arnautovic these days the word ‘Hollywood’ always pops into my mind. It seems there’s always something going on in his life and ‘choking’ in a public place surrounded by thousands of people does sound like a scene from a weird movie where the hero is in trouble before escaping his aggressor. Even the pay off line: “It’s not a good idea to fight me” could have been jotted down by some screenplay writer on a not so good day. However, us Hammers have always enjoyed our cult heroes such as Paolo and now Marko, along with plenty of others. However, after the last few days it would be nice to have a Marko-free week to be honest. Love him as a player, love his dedication to the cause during games, and love the swagger but we are far more than a one man team and it would be nice to have a drama-free period even it’s only to catch our breath before the next one.