Out of action: Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury playing for Arsenal against Manchester United on opening weekend
Arsenal Football Newsletter
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz is set to undergo surgery on a knee injury, though he is not expected to be sidelined for the long-term.
The German international suffered the issue after coming off the bench as a second-half replacement for new signing Viktor Gyokeres during the 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Havertz was quickly ruled out of Arsenal’s maiden home outing against newly-promoted Leeds, which they won 5-0 but also saw star winger Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard forced off with respective hamstring and shoulder injuries ahead of Sunday’s huge clash with title rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
He was also omitted from the Germany squad for their upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland, with Arsenal weighing up whether or not the 26-year-old required an operation.
Standard Sport understands that Havertz will now undergo surgery, though the injury is not thought to be long-term and it is hoped he will be sidelined for a period of weeks rather than months.
The knee problem is another frustrating setback for the former Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen forward, who missed most of the second half of last season after tearing his hamstring during a training camp in Dubai in February.
Champions League draw in full as Chelsea and Arsenal get huge fixtures
Chelsea strike £40m agreement with Man Utd for Garnacho
Guehi shuts out exit rumours to lead Crystal Palace into league phase
Everything you need to know about England Rugby’s Red Roses squad
Saka is set to miss out against Liverpool in addition to Havertz, as well as being absent for England’s double-header against Andorra and Serbia.
Odegaard could be fit to play on Merseyside after being named in the Norway squad to face Finland and Moldova, though Ben White and Christian Norgaard are both doubts. Eberechi Eze will be vying for his Arsenal debut at Anfield after training with his new team-mates this week following a £67.5m switch from Crystal Palace.
Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, is stepping up his training activities as he continues to recover from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered in January.
Manager Mikel Arteta will provide a new update on Arsenal’s injury situation on Friday, when he addresses the media at London Colney ahead of the weekend clash with champions Liverpool, who will be without new signing Jeremie Frimpong but hope that influential midfielder Alexis Mac Allister will be fit for the blockbuster early season showdown.