Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that Kai Havertz suffered his season-ending hamstring injury while attempting to block a shot during a training session.
Havertz’s finishing, work rate, and suitability for the centre-forward role have been questioned this season, but his availability has been one of his key strengths. The German has featured in all but two of Arsenal’s 38 matches across all competitions, scoring a team-high 15 goals before joining his teammates for a warm-weather training break in Dubai.
It was during the seemingly routine task of blocking a shot—something Havertz had done 22 times this season without issue—that he tore his hamstring, prematurely ending his season in early February.
“He was going to block a shot after a set-piece, stretched his leg, and felt his hamstring,” Arteta explained in a press conference on Friday. “We were having a great camp in Dubai, recharging, training, and connecting with nature in a different environment, and then the injury happened in a very unexpected way.”
While the injury occurred during a simple block, Arteta pointed to the congested fixture schedule as the main cause of the muscular problems affecting Arsenal’s squad. Alongside Havertz, both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also sidelined with hamstring injuries.
“We’ve had players who’ve played 130 games over the last two seasons, so it’s an accident waiting to happen when you keep piling on the load,” Arteta said. “The intensity is at a different level, and the demands in terms of minutes are getting higher. The number of muscle and tendon injuries is at an all-time high, and there’s a clear relationship. We’re very limited, and we’re training less than ever—there’s no time for proper training.”
