Arsenal striker Kai Havertz still hasn’t featured in the Premier League since matchday one.
After the opening day, it was revealed that the German had to undergo surgery to resolve a knee injury.
Months down the line, and we’ve only seen the forward in action for 29 minutes since, but against Manchester United on matchday 23, he didn’t even make the squad.
In the days leading up to the Premier League blockbuster, it was revealed that Havertz had suffered a flare-up in the knee he had surgery on, but the reason behind his omission against United wasn’t necessarily because of that.
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Why Kai Havertz was left out of the Arsenal squad against Man United
It’s understood that, despite playing minutes in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, Havertz is ‘far from full fitness’.
That being said, in a report following the defeat to Man United, The Athletic have suggested that Havertz missed out due to competition purposes.
The report read: ‘The likes of Kai Havertz and Christian Norgaard were left out of the match-day squad entirely. Arsenal are in a position where senior internationals are failing to make the substitutes’ bench.’
Focusing on Arsenal’s squad depth, the picture was painted to reveal that Havertz did not make the matchday squad because of others being ahead of him in the team.
His lack of fitness and building competition in the squad go hand in hand, but given that he missed out entirely, it has to be wondered what the remainder of the season could look like for the 26-year-old.
What Mikel Arteta said about Havertz before facing Man United
While separate reports revealed Havertz’s struggles with fitness behind the scenes, Mikel Arteta gave no indication that the German would miss out against Man United.
In his pre-match press conference before the defeat, the Arsenal manager was asked about fitness concerns and competition in the striker role.
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After saying Arsenal had ‘no issues’ on the injury front after the Inter Milan win, for which Havertz made the bench, Arteta spoke about competition.
“Yes, we were waiting for that and with the amount of games that are coming up, they’re all going to have opportunities and minutes, obviously, so it’s great to have them back and especially to have them in good form.”
At no point did the boss give away that Havertz was carrying an injury; thus, it must be thought that his omission from the matchday squad was, in fact, due to competition.
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