Arsenal kicked off their pre-season tour with a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Singapore.
Results mean nothing in a friendly, but it was still great to see the players back and looking reasonably good for the most part.
Many of Arsenal’s regular starters got the nod at the Singapore National Stadium on Wednesday, and Kai Havertz was one of them.
The German, it’s safe to say, looked a bit different.
Reiss Nelson gives Arsenal star Kai Havertz a new nickname at Arsenal
Havertz had a difficult 2024/25 campaign.
The former Chelsea man finished the season as Arsenal’s top scorer, but a serious hamstring injury kept him out of action for several weeks.
Havertz used that time to bulk up, and over the summer holidays, it looks like he has taken his physique to a whole new level.
Arsenal fans were stunned by how big Havertz looked on his first day back for pre-season, and that transformation has not gone unnoticed behind the scenes either.
After the Gunners beat AC Milan in Singapore on Wednesday, Havertz took to his social media to post a picture from the game.
Looking at his size, Reiss Nelson decided to give him a very apt nickname: “Hulk!”
Mikel Arteta delivers verdict on Kai Havertz after Arsenal beat AC Milan
Havertz had a good game against Milan on Wednesday.
The German started up front and worked tirelessly. He got stuck in, his movement was very good, and despite his new size, he didn’t look slow at all.
Mikel Arteta was very impressed with Havertz after the game and heaped praise on him.
He said: “Yeah, he’s in a very good place, I think the game that he had, I think he was in three or four times, he was completely free, and the ball arrived to him, his work rate, what he offers to the team, it’s top.
“So, he scored against Watford, today he was very close a couple of times as well, overall very happy with him.”
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