Arsenal have confirmed that Kai Havertz suffered a hamstring injury while training in Dubai – and the prognosis for his time on the sidelines is a major blow.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed on Tuesday night that the Arsenal star had suffered the worrying hamstring injury scare while on club’s training tripin the United Arab Emirates.
Well-placed sources indicated that the injury will result in Havertz spending a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Now the club have confirmed that Havertz will have surgery in the coming days befoe undergoing a recovery and rehabilitation programme which will extend into pre-season.
‘Everyone at the club is fully focused on supporting Kai to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible,’ the club said in a statement on its website.
The news arrives as a crushing blow to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is already without several attacking players with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all missing through injury.
Arsenal have confirmed that Kai Havertz is out for the rest of the season after his hamstring injury
The Gunners, who are behind league leaders Liverpool in the title race, are currently on a training trip in Dubai as they look to challenge for honours in the second half of the season
Havertz is the club’s top scorer this season with 15 goals and his absence will hit their ambitions of overhauling Liverpool at the top of the table this season.
Arsenal were criticised for not adding an attacker to their ranks during the January window and the injury to Havertz will only serve to intensify the backlash.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have explored the option of Takehiro Tomiyasu undergoing surgery to cure his long-standing knee problem.
The Japan defender has played just six minutes of football this season, coming on as a late substitute in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton in October following a three month recovery from a knee injury that saw him miss the start of the season.
But he has not featured since that win over the Saints after suffering an injury setback.
Indeed, Mail Sport understands there is emerging concern for Tomiyasu’s long-term fitness with club medics believed to have given serious consideration to the option of an operation for their versatile defender.
It is unclear whether a final decision on surgery has been made – but it has been an option discussed at the club’s London Colney HQ.
A new operation would require a lengthy rehabilitation programme and likely rule Tomiyasu out for a significant period of time.
In 2023, Tomiyasu underwent his first knee operation which kept the 26-year-old out of action for three months.
With that in mind, a second procedure on the joint would arrive as a blow to Tomiyasu, whose time at Arsenal has been beset by injury issues.
Bukayo Saka travelled with his Arsenal team-mates to their winter training camp in Dubai
Speaking last month head coach Mikel Arteta provided a positive update on Tomiyasu’s fitness saying: ‘Tomi has done some stuff on the pitch, but now because it’s been a long-term injury, we need to see how quickly he can progress and how he reacts.’
But there is now some pessimism regarding Tomiyasu’s fitness amplified by the discussions over a potential operation.
The imminent return to fitness of Ben White will help to soften the blow of Tomiyasu’s ongoing unavailability.
White, who himself underwent knee surgery in November, is set to return and could be named in the squad to face Leicester this weekend.
