Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Kai Havertz is nearing a return to action after a long-term knee injury, with the Arsenal manager suggesting the German could be available within days. Havertz has been sidelined since undergoing surgery in August and missed an initial December return target due to a setback in rehabilitation.
'I think it will be a matter of days, not weeks,' Arteta said. 'He's a player that we miss a lot, a player that brings the team into a different dimension. So I’m really happy to have him back very soon.' The 26-year-old was Arsenal's Premier League top scorer last season with nine goals, despite also missing time with a hamstring issue.
Saturday's match against Brighton may come too soon for Havertz, who will compete for the striker role with Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Jesus. Arteta also revealed Gabriel Martinelli is a doubt with a knee injury, while defender Piero Hincapié picked up an unspecified issue in the win over Everton. Riccardo Calafiori is expected to continue alongside William Saliba in central defence, the eighth different pairing used this season.
On a positive note, Arsenal lead the Premier League fair play standings with 22 yellow cards and no red cards after 17 games, a stark contrast to last season's six dismissals. Arteta recalled the controversial red card shown to Declan Rice against Brighton in August: 'I remember very well, I was very hacked off. Hopefully it’s going to be very different next time.'
