Boss Mikel Arteta has provided the Arsenal team news for Saturday’s Premier League visit of Leeds United.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed news of an Arsenal injury blow which has left a star out of Saturday’s visit of Leeds United to the Emirates.
Striker Kai Havertz returned from three months out with a hamstring injury for the end of the 2024-25 Premier League season and replaced new signing Viktor Gyokeres as a 60th-minute substitute in the weekend’s season opener at Manchester United.
Havertz, though, then suffered a knee injury and was missing from the club’s open training session at The Emirates on Wednesday ahead of Saturday evening’s visit of Leeds.
Arsenal have since been assessing the condition of the 26-year-old Germany international striker and Arteta confirmed at Friday’s pre-match press conference that Havertz was definitely out but that the Gunners would have to wait on the extent of the damage.
“We don’t know the extent of it,” said the Gunners boss. “We need more time and more tests.”
Arsenal are already without another striker in Gabriel Jesus who remains on the comeback trail from surgery to his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Another striker option, Leandro Trossard, has been injured of late with a groin injury but made the bench for Sunday’s 1-0 win at Manchester United for which he was an unused substitute.
But summer signing Christian Norgaard has also been ruled out of Saturday’s visit of Leeds for which ex-Whites loan star Ben White is also a doubt.
White was another notable omission from Wednesday’s training session having started Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford in which he was forced off in the 71st minute.
Noorgard - out with what Arteta had called “a little issue the medical staff will address” - was also not involved in Wednesday’s session.
Speaking on Friday, Arteta added: “Christian won’t be in the squad, with Ben let’s see.”
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