New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) Arsenal forward Kai Havertz took to social media to reveal he underwent a successful operation following the hamstring injury he suffered in Dubai.
The German forward has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and is now “focused on journey to full fitness”.
“The last few days have been tough to process both physically and mentally. But yesterday was a good day. A successful op and a win. Thanks for all the messages of support over the last few days, it’s really helped. I’m now focused on my journey to full fitness and giving all the support I can give to the team in the background,” wrote Havertz on X.
Havertz, 25, had been a near-constant presence for Arsenal this season, contributing 15 goals and five assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.
The Gunners have only Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling and Leo Trossard available to start in their forward line and no available strikers with both Havertz and Gabriel Jesus having been ruled out of the season.
The trio started in the front three against Leicester City on Saturday in what turned out to be a toothless display. Barring Nwaneri, there was no spark in the Arsenal attack which forced Mikel Arteta to bring on Mikel Merino and play the midfielder as a false nine. Merino ended up scoring a brace in his first-ever appearance as a striker to help the Gunners win at King Power Stadium.
Arteta had reflected on Havertz’s injury in the pre-Leicester match conference on Friday.
“We were having a great camp in Dubai recharging, training, having some time off and connecting again with nature in a different environment, and then the injury happened in a very unexpected way. Certainly, it is a big blow because of the injuries that we have but fortunately, we’ve been through a lot this season.
“So that’s it, that’s the challenge ahead. I love it and look forward because we are still where we are with all the things I mentioned on top of playing four times with 10 men, blah blah blah. Let’s see what the team is made of,” said Arteta.
–IANS
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