Pellegrini wants big things from Arnautovic

LONDON: West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini wants forward Marko Arnautovic to put his recent transfer saga behind him concentrate on helping the club finish high in the Premier League.

The Austrian appeared to have played his last game for West Ham with a move to China in the pipeline but on Saturday he confirmed he would be staying at the London club.

"I am happy for us that Marko has finished his issue and he will stay here and I hope he will be the player we know he can be in the next game," Pellegrini told a news conference ahead of Tuesday's Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"I expect from every player, not only Marko, to see their performance as high as you know that player can give you. That is the most important thing for me. Players must play to eight out of 10 in every game.

"Everyone knows that Marko can do. He made an important difference in the second half of last season and I hope he can do so again this season."

Arnautovic missed the league defeat by Bournemouth and Saturday's humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of AFC Wimbledon who are bottom of England's third tier.

Pellegrini was scathing of his side after a 4-2 defeat at Wimbledon, and says they need to find consistency if they are to have a chance of winning what looks like being a battle for seventh place in the Premier League.

"It's one of the things we must improve," he said. "We have played very good games and beaten the best teams but after that we haven't had the consistency to play the same way in three games in a row, except one time when we won four games in a row.

"We need to find that level of consistency going forward."

West Ham will be without Lucas Perez for the trip to Wolves after he suffered a kick on Saturday.