Michael Owen Hails 'Brilliant' West Ham Talisman and Tips Player for Move to Champions League Club

Former England international and television pundit Michael Owen insists West Ham United forward Marko Arnautović is good enough to play for any of the Premier League's top six, after the Austrian forward impressed against Burnley in the Premier League.

Owen, whose opinions have divided many fans in the past, spoke of Arnautović towards the latter stage of the match, which West Ham won 4-2, during the BT Sport Score show on Saturday.

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The Austrian marked his return to the league by netting the opener in the game, on what was also his first start since West Ham's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, and Owen indicated that the 29-year-old is more than capable of playing for some of the bigger clubs in the league and even tipped him to go one further and play in Europe's most prestigious competition.

As quoted by HITC, Owen said: "He is absolutely brilliant. He could play for a team in the top six. He is a Champions League player, in my opinion."

The former Stoke City winger has been pivotal for the Hammers this season. He has been involved in six goals (scoring five) in ten appearances this campaign despite nursing a knee injury (which has kept him out of four matches).

However, Arnautović has failed to make the grade at bigger sides previously before. He joined Inter August 2009, but only registered three senior appearances for the Nerazzurri, which amassed a total of 55 minutes, which prevented the winger from joining permanently.

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The Austrian seems to have matured a great deal since that disappointing loan spell in Italy and has all the attributes to become a success elsewhere, but he needs to ensure he remains focused in order to earn a dream move to a bigger club.