Kai Havertz’s eagerly anticipated comeback appears to have been derailed following a concerning update form Germany’s national team boss Julian Nagelsmann.
The Arsenal centre forward missed the majority of the second half of last season with a serious hamstring injury but returned ahead of schedule and made two substitute appearances in the final two games of the campaign.
With his place in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI threatened by the summer arrival of Viktor Gyokeres, Havertz was hopeful of making a fast start to the new season but thosehopes were immediately derailed.
The former Chelsea star suffered a knee injury after he came off the bench in the opening weekend victory over Manchester United and hasn’t been since.
Reports earlier this month claimed Mikel Arteta had anticipated being ableto welcome back a number of players ahead of this weekend’s north London derby with Havertz among them.
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Those hopes, however, appear to have been dashed after Nagelsmann was asked about Havertz’s condition after Germany’s win over Slovakia on Monday.
‘Kai had a minor relapse on his injury, but overall, he’s doing well,’ he said. ‘He is expected to return towards the end of the year.’
Arteta, meanwhile, is sweating on the fitness of Gyokeres who missed two games prior to the international break with an unspecified muscular injury.
Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli are also making their way back to full fitness having both been absent in recent week.
The Arsenal manager’s defensive linchpin, Gabriel Magalhaes, is also facing a spell on the sidelines after he limped off during Brazil’s friendly with Senegal over the weekend.
Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures
Arsenal vs Tottenham (November 23,)
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (November 26)
Chelsea vs Arsenal (November 30)
Arsenal vs Brentford (December 3)
Aston Villa vs Arsenal (December 6)
Club Brugge vs Arsenal (December 10)
Arsenal vs Wolves (December 13)
Everton vs Arsenal (December 20)
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (December 23)
Arsenal vs Brighton (December 27)
Arsenal vs Aston VIlla (December 30)
Initial reports suggest the 27-year-old could miss up to two months which would represent a major blow to the Gunners title hopes given his outstanding form in recent months.
‘It’s not about any one player this year and injuries, it’s about the collective group,’ former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told talkSPORT, reacting to the Gabriel blow.
‘If someone else is injured Mosquera will have to come in and do a magnificent job because Gabriel and Saliba are a the best partnership in Europe, never mind in the building.’