WHY 2018 IS THE YEAR FOR MARKO

MARKO ARNAUTOVIC insists he didn’t get Slaven Bilic sacked — but that he did let his former boss down a “little bit”. And the giant Austrian definitely seemed to up his work-rate under David Moyes, producing 25 percent more sprints. And 2018, under first Moyes and then Manuel Pellegrini, has become the year of Arnautovic. Since the start of the year, Marko Arnautovic has had a hand in 16 Premier League goals — nine goals, seven assists. Only Mohamed Salah (24) has had a hand in more than the West Ham forward. Arnautovic has been directly involved in 11 of West Ham’s last 16 Premier League goals (seven goals, four assists).