Arsenal forward Kai Havertz appears to have suffered a hamstring injury, though it’s unclear at this stage how serious the problem is.
Sami Mokbel reports for the Daily Mail that Kai Havertz has suffered a worrying injury scare during Arsenal’s trip to Dubai.
Sources indicate the problem is hamstring related, with the exact diagnosis unconfirmed, and Arsenal will confirm the extent of the issue “in due course”.
One Arsenal fan who was in attendance watching the training session confirms that the player suffered the injury whilst the team were taking part in a set-piece drill.
Even a minor hamstring injury would likely rule Havertz out of Saturday’s game against Leicester City at this stage, and Arsenal will be very concerned about the absence lasting much longer than that.
On paper, the next two games against struggling sides Leicester and West Ham should be winnable with or without Havertz, but it’s the run after that when Mikel Arteta will want all his best players available.
Arsenal face high-flying Nottingham Forest on February 26th, then play the away leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. After that, it’s a trip to Manchester United on March 9th, the last-16 home leg the following midweek, before the visit of Chelsea on March 16th.
If Havertz is out, Leandro Trossard is the most likely candidate to play up front for Arsenal, with Raheem Sterling perhaps getting a chance in the team on the left and Ethan Nwaneri on the right.
Gabriel Martinelli would usually fill in for Trossard, but he’s also currently recovering from a hamstring injury. As is Bukayo Saka on the other side. Arteta will have to figure out a solution quickly.