Havertz Nears Arsenal Return After Knee Injury

Good news for Arsenal fans, Kai Havertz is pretty close to getting back on the pitch. He’s been out since the very first weekend of the season with a knee injury. Manager Mikel Arteta said it’s just a “matter of days, not weeks” now. That’s a huge boost for the Gunners.

Arteta thinks Havertz brings a “different dimension” to the team. And honestly, they’ve really missed him.

Back on the Training Pitch

Havertz has been pictured back in training this week. That’s a really good sign. He’s been doing full training sessions with the squad. Videos even showed him working alongside guys like Saka, Martinelli, and Saliba. It seems like he’s even had a pretty visible physical transformation, according to some YouTube training updates. He’s been putting in the work, for sure.

Apparently, Havertz had knee surgery back in August. It was a long road. He was actually expected back in early December. But then he had a bit of a setback in his rehab. So, this return now is a big relief. Arteta even said he was “quite close” to playing in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace.

Missing the Brighton Clash

Even with all the good news, Havertz won’t be playing against Brighton this Saturday. Arteta confirmed that. It’s just a bit too soon, you know? They want to be careful. The manager wants to see how his knee responds to the full training before throwing him into a game. That makes sense. No need to rush things and risk another injury.

When he does come back, Havertz will have some competition up front. There’s the new £64 million signing Viktor Gyökeres. And Gabriel Jesus just started his first game in almost a year against Palace. So, Havertz will have to fight for his spot, but that’s a good problem for Arsenal to have. More options are always good.

More Injury Worries, But Good Fair Play

It’s not all clear skies for Arsenal, though. They still have some other injury problems. Gabriel Martinelli is a doubt for the Brighton game with his own knee injury. And Piero Hincapié picked up an unspecified injury against Everton. That’s another blow to the defense.

Riccardo Calafiori is probably going to play alongside William Saliba in central defense. That would be the eighth different pairing they’ve used this season, which is pretty wild. But there’s hope that Gabriel Magalhães could be back in the new year. He’s still doing his rehab, but hopefully, he’ll be back fast. Arteta knows they need him in the back.

Last season, injuries really messed up Arsenal’s title challenge. But this time, they’ve at least avoided a lot of red cards. That’s something, right? They’re actually top of the Premier League. And they’re also leading the fair play standings. They’ve only had 22 bookings in 17 games. And no dismissals at all! That’s a massive improvement. Last season, they had six sendings-off. The first one was Declan Rice against Brighton in August 2024. He got a controversial second yellow for kicking the ball away.

Arteta remembers that game clearly. He was “very hacked off” by how they played with 10 men. He’s hoping for a “very different” game this time, as ESPN reported. That’s understandable.

So, while the Brighton match might be too soon for Havertz, his return is definitely something to look forward to. And it’s coming really soon. Arsenal just needs to keep pushing forward, with or without him for this one game. The team is in a strong position, and Havertz’s return will only make them stronger. It’s going to be interesting to see that “different dimension” Arteta is talking about.