Boss Bilic defends pricey winger’s slow start

Slaven Bilic has been defending the slow start made by his record signing Marko Arnautovic.

Despite an improved performance – and with just 10 men – there was little coming down the left side from the Irons against Burnley.

With Aaron Cresswell out of sorts again and and Arnautovic offering very little offensively, the team disappointed down that flank all afternoon.

Bilic resisted an obvious temptation to use Arthur Masuaku because the coaching staff felt an extra midfielder was required in the “one short”  circumstances.

Explaining his thinking Bilic declared: “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.

“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.”