Kai Havertz has been flown back to Arsenal for a medical assessment following an injury he picked up while representing Germany in the Nations League match against the Netherlands. The German side were locked in a 1-1 stalemate in Amsterdam on Thursday, and during the first half Havertz was brought down by a challenge from Quinten Timber. The contact forced the Arsenal forward to leave the pitch, with Younes Ebnoutalib coming on as his replacement.
Initial reports suggest that the problem is a relatively minor muscle strain, but the decision was made for the player to depart the German camp and undergo further evaluation at Arsenal's facilities. As a result, Havertz will miss the remainder of the international window, which includes Germany's upcoming fixtures. Germany manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that both Havertz and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala, who also suffered a suspected thigh issue, are undergoing MRI scans.
"We expect to have a diagnosis by Thursday evening," Klopp said. "I hope it's nothing serious. The lads are probably out for us, but I hope they will be back relatively quickly." Havertz has been a regular starter for Arsenal this season, featuring in six of the club's eight matches across all competitions and finding the net three times.
Although the current injury does not appear to be severe, it adds to a growing list of setbacks that have plagued his time at the Emirates. Last season, the 27‑year‑old was limited to just seven Premier League starts because of recurring knee and muscle problems. Earlier in the 2024/25 campaign he was sidelined for the final three months after suffering a hamstring tear, further interrupting his progress.
Arsenal now face a dilemma in attack. If Havertz is unavailable for an extended period, Viktor Gyökeres will become the team's primary striking option, although Mikel Merino has also been deployed in a forward role. The Gunners are scheduled to host Leeds United on Saturday, 10 October, in their next Premier League encounter, and they will need to decide how to fill the void left by Havertz's absence. Klopp has already named replacements for the German squad, with Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Burkardt set to take the places of Havertz and Musiala for the next match.
The situation underscores the precarious nature of squad depth during international breaks, especially when key players are pulled from club duties for national team obligations. Sky Sports' Nick Wright offered an optimistic take on the injury, noting that the early timing within the international window gives Arsenal more than two weeks to recover the player before the Leeds game. However, Wright also highlighted the frustration of Arsenal fans, who have already seen limited success in bolstering their attacking options during the summer transfer window.
Havertz's injury history, including the lengthy hamstring lay‑off in 2025, remains a cause for concern among the coaching staff. Gyökeres, who stepped in for Havertz last season and scored 21 goals in all competitions, has struggled to replicate that form at the start of the new campaign. He has logged only 29 Premier League minutes so far and managed just one shot across two starts against Napoli and Ipswich. This under‑performance comes at a time when Arsenal have been linked with high‑profile forwards such as Julian Álvarez and Vinícius Júnior, putting additional pressure on Gyökeres to prove his worth to manager Mikel Arteta.
Jay Bothroyd, also writing for Sky Sports News, contrasted Gyökeres' playing style with that of Havertz. He explained that Gyökeres prefers making runs behind the defence, operating on the shoulder of the back line, and exploiting the channels between centre‑backs and full‑backs.
While his speed and physicality are assets, Bothroyd argued that Gyökeres needs to improve his ball‑holding ability—a trait that Havertz excels at and which facilitates link‑up play among the front three. Bothroyd suggested that Arteta might also look to Merino as an alternative, given the Spanish midfielder's technical proficiency, vision, and passing range, which mirror many of Havertz's strengths.
Merino has already shown an eye for goal in the box, and both analysts agree that if Gyökeres does not quickly adapt to the demands of a leading striker, Merino could see increased minutes. In summary, Havertz's return to Arsenal for medical evaluation marks another chapter in a season that has been punctuated by injury setbacks for the German international. While the injury appears minor, the timing is inconvenient for a club that is still searching for a reliable goal‑scoring outlet. Arsenal will have to rely on Gyökeres, Merino, or perhaps other squad members to fill the gap ahead of their upcoming fixtures, while hoping that Havertz's recovery proceeds smoothly and that he can rejoin the squad before the end of the international break.