Manchester United End Marko Arnautovic Interest After Negative Reaction From Fans

Manchester United have abandoned their attempts to sign Marko Arnautovic.

News broke over the weekend stating that United had made an offer to Bologna for the 33-year-old former West Ham and Stoke striker.

The reaction from United fans was generally negative, increasingly so after Sunday's 2-1 home loss to Brighton.

Arnautovic is at an age where he will only depreciate in value, while there have long been question marks over his level of professionalism.

Former England striker Chris Sutton described United's potential move for Arnautovic as "ridiculous" and said it could put manager Erik ten Hag in trouble.

Marko Arnautovic pictured playing for Bologna earlier this month

IMAGO/ImagePhoto/Matteo Gribaudi

Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's a real wrong move in terms of the eyes of the supporters.

"There's a million other players out there United should have been linked with. I do no get that.

"It's an absolute PR disaster. If Arnautovic comes in, that's going to put Ten Hag under so much pressure."

United have since ended their interest in Arnautovic, partly due to the negative public response, according to BBC Sport.

Bologna's transfer demands are also said to have put United off.

As reported by The Athletic, United's initial offer that was rejected had been worth €8 million.