Mikel Arteta provided a positive update on Kai Havertz’s recovery from knee surgery on Friday, though he stopped short of providing a potential return date for the German.
Havertz went under the knife at the end of August after picking up a knock on the opening day of the season against Manchester United, though the procedure was described by the club at the time as “minor.”
Had the injury have occurred last season, Arsenal might have been in strife considering Gabriel Jesus is still sidelined and Bukayo Saka is also on the treatment table. But the arrival of Viktor Gyökeres has eased the burden on Havertz, who finished last season as the club’s top goalscorer in both the Premier League and in all competitions.
Speaking about his recovery to the media, Arteta said of the 26-year-old: “Yeah, he's looking really good. I mean, he's working freely. He's starting to load that knee, and start to do some bits.
“Obviously, as I said before, I think it will take him from weeks to months. But knowing Kai, I cannot give you any timescale, because I know what he's going to try to do, same with Gabi Jesus. So I think he's in a good moment.
“It was a very tough decision for him to go and have that procedure done. But I think it was necessary, and it was the right decision from the medical team to persuade him to do that.”
Arteta confirmed Saka will be absent for Nottingham Forest’s trip to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, but offered hope that William Saliba will slot straight back into defence after he limped off just five minutes into the 1–0 defeat at Liverpool which came just before the international break.
Saka’s void in the side is once again expected to be filled by Noni Madueke, who netted for England in midweek to continue what’s been a fine start to the season for the £52 million summer arrival. On how impressed he’s been by Madueke’s application and response to those who criticised his transfer from Chelsea, Arteta remarked: “Well, I can talk about what I've seen and what I've experienced and I think the welcoming that our supporters gave to Noni from day one was incredible.
“So, I don't know other ways that people communicated the disagreement with that, but our supporters they've been exceptional and rightly so because he's an unbelievable player.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Provides Kai Havertz Injury Update.