Stoke Boss Mark Hughes Blasts Marko Arnautovic Saying 'He's Lucky to Get Back to the Dressing Room'

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has criticised the behaviour of former Potters player Marko Arnautovic following his actions throughout their 3-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham United.

The Austrian forward scored the Hammers' second goal of their 3-0 victory over Stoke at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday and celebrated the moment in emphatic fashion, potentially in an attempt to get back at the Stoke fans directing abuse at him for his £25m switch from Stoke to West Ham this summer.

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After his goal and subsequent celebrations, the Austrian was substituted by a clearly concerned David Moyes in an attempt to quell the anger of the home crowd.

Following the game, Mark Hughes gave Arnautovic a mouthful and he had a Stoke scarf thrown at him as he retreated down the tunnel to the safety of the visitors dressing room.

Following in the match, Hughes commented on his former player's behaviour, saying: "He was doing all sorts by the end and did well to get back to the dressing room safely." as reported by the Daily Star.

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"There was a little bit of baiting obviously but didn’t he expect that? I had better be careful, but I think he should have risen above any criticism or abuse that he had.

"He had enough at other places, and this place was actually very, very good for him. The fans loved him here. So to burn all your bridges after just one game back - he didn’t need to do it."

West Ham United boss David Moyes also commented on his player's behaviour, revealing his message to Arnautovic before the match.

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"I said to Marko ‘make sure you don’t get wound up. It’s not probably going to be for you so don’t get carried away with it and don’t get involved’," said Moyes.

"I think he played a little bit like that at times in the first half. I think if he had played a little bit more with the eye of the tiger, he would have got a few more goals."

The defeat at the hands of fellow Premier League strugglers, West Ham, has put Mark Hughes on the brink at Stoke, with the Potters' next game coming against West Brom on Saturday 23rd December.