Arsenal dealt ‘frustrating’ injury blow as key star given ‘new set return date’ after suffering ‘setback’ | OneFootball

According to reports, Arsenal have been dealt another injury blow as forward Kai Havertz has suffered a ‘frustrating setback’ and has a ‘new return date’.

The Gunners comfortably have the best squad in the Premier League, so they are well-placed to end their prolonged trophy drought this season.

Arsenal cemented their dominance during a stunning 18-game unbeaten run across all competitions between August and December, moving clear at the top of the Premier League table, remaining unbeaten in the Champions League group phase and advancing in the Carabao Cup.

Mikel Arteta’s side have dropped points against Sunderland, Chelsea and Aston Villa in recent weeks, while they looked nervy against Wolves, but they still have a narrow advantage over Manchester City at the summit.

Arsenal’s £250m summer spend ensures Arteta has quality options in every position, while they are also boosted by the immense versatility of their players.

Still, Arsenal have been ravaged by injuries this season, with Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White and Max Dowman currently unavailable.

Havertz had been on the brink of a return after suffering a knee injury against Manchester United on the opening day of this campaign, with summer signing Viktor Gyokeres hardly setting the world alight in his absence.

Havertz has been tipped to replace Gyokeres in Arsenal’s starting XI in the coming months, but his return has been delayed by a ‘frustrating setback’.

This is according to The Daily Mail, Havertz has a ‘new set return date’, with the forward due to be out of action until January.

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The report explains: ‘Daily Mail Sport understands that in November, the 26-year-old was one week away from returning to a matchday squad before picking up an issue in his final training sessions. The German is now aiming to be match-squad ready by the middle of next month; he has yet to return to training since his setback.

‘There is a chance of Havertz making the Arsenal squad for their January 8 league match against Liverpool, though the FA Cup third-round match against Portsmouth three days later is more likely.’

Former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas is not sold on Gyokeres as he has backed Havertz to start ahead of him.

“I watched him live a couple of times and when he was fit and flying, and I liked what he brought to that Arsenal team because it was just very different. His style is totally different. But what he does do is he makes defenders work, he runs them into channels, he beats them up,” Jenas told 10bet.

He does a lot of stuff that would create a lot of space for players like Eze and Odegaard to work their magic in. I do think though to be a real success, he needs to add more goals to his game

“It quietened down a few people, but he’s not really showing the capabilities of being a top Premier League striker currently. So there is a little bit of an issue there.

“I think with Arteta, eventually he’ll get more and more frustrated and he’ll end up playing Merino up there or Havertz when he’s fit, maybe Trossard or Eze. Because he knows that the ball retention will be there and they’ll create chances.”