Kai Havertz has, for reasons, explained his love of donkeys, revealing it goes back to childhood and is well known enough among his team-mates to be a source of jokes.
While on international duty, the Arsenal forward was discussing his affection for animals when he gave an insight into one of the more unusual details of his life away from football.
“Love was always there,” he said. “It kind of started with me at a young age, that I somehow developed such a love there.
“The guys also know about this. There is also one or the other who makes jokes about it sometimes. I love animals. I have three dogs at home myself. We have donkeys in Germany.“
The 26-year-old’s comments came as he also spoke about a difficult spell with injuries and his determination to make the most of Arsenal’s demanding run-in as he works his way back to full sharpness.
After more than a year disrupted by setbacks, Havertz says he is finally back to full fitness and ready to build momentum again for both club and country.
“I had a tough time. It was not easy for me,” Havertz told a press conference ahead of Germany’s friendly against Switzerland.
“I had my first injury in February last year, three and a half months out then comeback and then a setback with the knee injury,” he added.
Having been sidelined since August, Havertz returned for the Premier League leaders in January and is now back in the Germany squad for matches against Switzerland on Friday and Ghana three days later.
It is his first international involvement in more than a year after missing last season’s fixtures through injury.
For Arsenal, the timing is significant. With the club competing in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League, there will be no shortage of games for Havertz to rebuild his rhythm, and he believes that is exactly what he needs.
“I now feel completely fit,” he said. “I need the one or other game from the start to reach 100 percent but I feel fit to start lasting over 90 minutes.”.
That will be welcome news for Mikel Arteta, with Havertz increasingly influential in Arsenal’s attacking system and entering a part of the season where availability matters as much as form.