That’s the advice from Arnautovic’s former Stoke team-mate Peter Crouch, who thinks the Austrian is “perfect” for Manchester United.
Arnautovic was the subject of a £35million bid from an unnamed club from China this week, although West Ham immediately rejected the approach.
The 29-year-old has established himself as a key man for the Hammers in his 18 months at London Stadium, scoring 19 goals in 52 games – with eight and two assists in 17 games this season.
But Arnautovic has not hid behind a desire to test himself at a higher level, telling Austrian newspaper Kurier in November: “I’m 29, so that’s the best age. It’s clear that I want to compete with the best players. But in this affair I totally trust my brother.”
His brother Danijel told talkSPORT this week in response to the bid from China: “West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him. He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles.
“This is what he wants. It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”
Arnautovic – who earns £90,000-a-week at the London Stadium – would receive a major pay rise in Asia with reports suggesting champions Shanghai SIPG are the team behind the bid.
Yet having been linked with Chelsea and Man Utd in the past, Stoke striker Crouch – who played for four seasons alongside Arnautovic in the Potteries – thinks he should stay put in England.
However, the veteran striker admits his ex-team-mate’s desire to move to the Chinese Super League is nothing new.
Writing in his weekly Daily Mail column, Crouch said: “Marko Arnautovic always struck me as a player who could end up at Manchester United and Old Trafford looked like it would be the perfect stage for him.
“Some of you may laugh at that statement but, believe me, Marko has always had special ability. There were doubts about his temperament and maybe that’s why one of the top six haven’t taken him.
“But the next best thing for him was a club such as West Ham, on the up in the Premier League. They made him their main man, something he always wanted to be, and he has thrived.
“The interest in him from the Chinese Super League, however, does not surprise me. I remember talking to him about it a couple of years ago when their clubs started buying players such as Oscar and Ramires from Chelsea. China was definitely on his radar.
“It would be a shame if he left the Premier League. He’s got all the attributes you need to thrive here and I think he’s shown during his time at Stoke and West Ham that he can be exciting. Being surrounded by even better players would bring further improvement.
“His head, though, will definitely have been turned by the amount of money on offer in China. West Ham are adamant that they will not sell him but it seems pretty clear that he wants to go, given what his brother, Danijel, said on Thursday.
“My concern is his age. He’s 29 and has so much to give at the highest level. I worry that if he goes to China, we won’t hear about him again.
“Tottenham sold Paulinho to Guangzhou Evergrande and he returned to play for Barcelona, but you forget Belgium’s Yannick Carrasco, 25, is playing in China.
“Footballers of their ability – and their age – should be playing in the Champions League. Could I have walked away from the Champions League aged 29? No matter what money was involved, I really don’t think I could.”