Latest Liverpool news as Arsenal face an injury problem for Kai Havertz ahead of next weekend's showdown against Arne Slot's side
Mikel Arteta.
Kai Havertz is an injury doubt for Liverpool as Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta revealed he will miss this weekend's encounter vs Leeds.
(Image: Sky Sports News/X)
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta says the extent of Kai Havertz's injury remains unclear as he faces a race to be fit to face Premier League title rivals Liverpool. The Gunners have been handed a blow after the Germany international suffered a knee injury ahead of their clash against Leeds United.
Next Sunday, the North London club visit the Premier League champions as they look to put an early dent in their rivals' bid to retain their crown. Liverpool eclipsed Arsenal to the summit as Arne Slot joined an esteemed group of tacticians to win the title in their first season.
Arsenal are closing in on a move to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace for a fee in the region of £67.5million but their accelerated chase comes in light of the latest setback for Havertz.
The former Chelsea forward missed the second half of last season after picking up a hamstring injury, which required surgery.
Havertz missed the open training session at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday after he made a 30-minute cameo during their win over Manchester United during the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Arteta admitted that the extent of the issue is unclear and failed to be drawn on the specifics, he told reporters on Friday: "It's an injury, we don't know the extent of it yet.
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"We need a bit more time and some more tests then we will have more clarity on then next steps.
"I prefer not to talk about the specifics but he's not fit, we need to explore the issue a little bit further then explore what we're going to do.
"I don't know [extent], he will not play tomorrow. I would love to have him fresh and available but unfortunately, that's not going to be possible.
"Mentally he is in a good place, he is a strong boy, committed. He had an incredible recovery from the hamstring surgery, I think he never had an injury before so it was the first injury and now he's had a setback.
"Let's see how bad it is but I'm sure he'll deal with it in the best possible way, he's a joy of a kid and hopefully we're going to have him soon."
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