Kai Havertz has been out of action for four months, with a knee injury, but the Germany forward looks to have taken a step closer towards his Arsenal return.
Kai Havertz appears to have made considerable progress in his comeback from a long-standing knee problem. The Germany star has been side-lined for the past four months, because of a knee injury – but was spotted on the grass at London Colney before the club’s Carabao Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace.
After a brief substitute outing on the season’s opening day, against Manchester United, Havertz picked up a knee issue which needed minor surgery. He was anticipated to make his comeback in late November or early December, but has stayed on the sidelines during this spell.
Concerns had emerged that he’d recently experienced another setback in his rehabilitation. But Arteta seemed to dismiss those worries before the victory over Everton.
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Speaking about Havertz, the Arsenal manager revealed: “He’s progressing really well and quite fast in the last few weeks.
“We are really positive that if everything continues like that in the next training sessions, he’s going to be with us.”
Arteta’s comments appeared to be proven true on Monday evening with Havertz spotted in training. The Gunners also shared three images of the 26-year-old working in the gym, accompanied by the message: “Step by step.”
Havertz’s return arriving just ahead of the hectic Christmas fixture list will provide a massive lift for Arteta, though this has coincided with fresh concerns as Piero Hincapie was nowhere to be seen in Monday’s training photos.
Elsewhere, ex-Man City striker Gabriel Jesus is being carefully handled following an extended period on the side-lines, with some promising cameo performances positioning him to potentially start Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash.
Arteta has stated: “Yes, he is [ready to start]. You can see now, not only in games, every day in training, how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon.”
The Gunners still face several injury woes, however. That’s with Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White and Max Dowman currently side-lined.
The former has been absent since November’s international break, though he’s moving closer to a comeback and might even return before the year concludes.
Arteta commented earlier this month: “He’s pushing hard as he always does every time he’s out and he’s evolving really well, he’s doing pitch sessions so he’s not too far, we have to see in the last stages of rehab how he progresses -but we are quite positive about him.”
Arsenal have an excellent chance to secure a Carabao Cup semi-final spot as they encounter a severely weakened and potentially exhausted Palace team.
Oliver Glasner is missing Daniel Munoz and Daichi Kamada through injury, while Jean-Phillipe Mateta is, also, dealing with a problem that has led to the former requiring surgery.
