Kai Havertz Set To Miss The Rest Of The Season After Sustaining An Injury

Arsenal are facing a significant setback as concerns mount over an injury to Kai Havertz, which could sideline the player for several weeks.

This situation threatens to leave the team without a recognized center-forward, jeopardizing their aspirations for the Premier League title.

The Germany striker is being assessed before Saturday’s trip to Leicester after sustaining what is understood to be a muscular problem during Arsenal’s training camp in Dubai.

Havertz, who leads the club as their top scorer this season with 15 goals across all competitions, returned to London with Mikel Arteta’s squad on Tuesday. He will undergo additional treatment as concerns grow that he might miss a key portion of the campaign, including the vital match against third-placed Nottingham Forest on February 26.

Arsenal are expected to be without Gabriel Martinelli for several weeks after the Brazilian injured a hamstring in the defeat by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final last week, and Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus are sidelined with long-term injuries.

That leaves Arteta with only three fit senior forwards, but none of Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling, or Ethan Nwaneri favors a central role.

The academy product Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, a 22-year-old yet to score a league goal after loans at Accrington and Cheltenham, could be an option.

However, the Arsenal manager has previously hinted that Nwaneri, the 17-year-old who has scored seven goals in a brilliant breakthrough season, maybe his preferred choice.

“I think he can develop into a No 9,” Arteta said in December.

“He has got the goal in front of him, and he looks at the goal, and he has a tremendous ability to put the ball in the back of the net.”

Only last week Arteta had praised Havertz’s “robustness” and dismissed concerns that the 25-year-old may have to play every game given Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker in the January window.

“Genetically, he is a powerhouse,” Arteta said. “He is so well-built. He is a player that anything you ask him, he is happy to do: to run, to be very robust, to run long distances.

“His body absorbs everything and then he looks after himself. We know how to manage him, and we believe that when he says something, it is for the right reason, not because he wants to avoid something.

“When something works, don’t touch him.”

Saka accompanied the Arsenal squad to Dubai and was seen working out in the gym; however, he is not expected to return for at least another month following his hamstring surgery.

Additionally, there are worries regarding Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has only played six minutes for the team this season due to a knee injury and did not make the trip to Dubai.

The Japan defender could face another operation having faced several setbacks in his attempts to return to full training.