Rangers Gareth McAuley has been warned by Marko Arnautovic after a tussle in Sunday’s Nations League match between Northern Ireland and Austria.
The West Ham forward is renowned as being an eccentric character but he was on the receiving end of McAuley’s wrath on Sunday.
The big Rangers defender tangled with Arnautovic in an aerial challenge in the latter stages of the game. He also refused to let him go as the duo landed.
McAuley, 38, received a yellow card for his part in the incident. Arnautovic took the opportunity to respond after the game.
Arnautovic said: “I’m not sure. He tried to choke me, or fight me. But it is not a good idea to fight me!”
McAuley’s Northern Ireland lost the match 2-1 against Austria at Windsor Park. Michael O’Neill’s side also fell victim to a last minute Austria winner.
The result sends Northern Ireland to the third tier of the Nations League. It also means they finished the new league structure with no points. The other side in the group was Bosnia.
I’m sure Northern Ireland’s diminished chances of earning a Nations League Euros spot will mean more to McAuley that the spat with Arnautovic.
Even if the big Austrian forward has fired an aggressive warning to the ex-West Brom centre back.