Arsenal forward Kai Havertz is announced to back off from the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury during the team’s Dubai training camp.
The 25-year-old’s absence will leave the North Londoners without a recognised striker until the end of the 2024-25 season.
The Athletic first reported a torn hamstring and that his season was likely to be over, external.
Sources close to Havertz expect surgery will be needed after he flew back with the team on Tuesday.
According to BBC sports reports, Arsenal have yet to comment publicly on Havertz’s injury.
Manager Mikel Arteta will be asked about the extent of the injury at Friday’s news conference before his side take on Leicester City on Saturday.
Striker Gabriel Jesus has also had surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee while star forward Bukayo Saka has had surgery on a hamstring injury sustained in December.
Gabriel Martinelli injured his hamstring last week in the Carabao Cup defeat at Newcastle and is reportedly out for “more than one month”.
Havertz has made 34 appearances across all competitions this season and is the club’s top scorer with 15 goals and five assists.
That means Harvertz will leave Arteta seriously short of goal scorers after the club were unable to sign attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window.
The Spanish boss said he was “disappointed” with the lack of activity with an offer for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins rejected.
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Rumours linking them to Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Brighton’s Evan Ferguson went nowhere.
Criticism had already been levelled at Arsenal even before these injury problems with many pundits and fans suggesting they needed a striker to maintain hopes of competing for a trophy.
Arteta said last week that Havertz might have to start every game for the rest of the season, adding that his other options to play in the position would be wingers Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri.
Arsenal flew out for warm-weather training last Thursday after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle in the semi-final.
They were not involved in this weekend’s FA Cup fixtures following their third-round defeat by Manchester United.
Last season, after a similar break, Arsenal went on to win 16 of their next 18 games.
