National World Top Stories Update Wednesday 7 January, 2026
It has been an incredibly difficult 12 months for Kai Havertz, who has been forced to watch his Arsenal teammates from the sidelines.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Kai Havertz is ‘very close’ to returning from injury.placeholder image
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Kai Havertz is ‘very close’ to returning from injury. | Getty Images
Ahead of Arsenal’s game against Liverpool tonight (January 8), manager Mikel Arteta was asked about Havertz’s progress in a press conference; he confirmed that the 26-year-old will be back on the pitch sooner rather than later.
He said: “We are monitoring obviously his load, he has been out for a long time for two different reasons and he is very close.
“He trained this morning again and hopefully we are going to have him available in the best version of Kai Havertz.”
Meanwhile, defensive duo Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are still ruled out, although Arteta hopes they are in the “last stage” of their respective injuries.
He added: “I think [they’ll return] pretty soon, they have to go to the last stage of the rehab. If everything goes well, hopefully very soon they will be available for selection.”
On Liverpool’s end, Alexander Isak has been ruled out and fellow striker Hugo Ekitike is a serious doubt for tonight’s game. In their absence, it’s likely either Cody Gakpo or Federico Chiesa will start at centre-forward.
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