Arsenal are reportedly hopeful that Kai Havertz will be fit to face Bournemouth in their next match, despite his withdrawal from the Germany squad last week.
The in-form striker pulled out of Julian Nagelsmann's selection for the upcoming matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Netherlands on Saturday due to an issue with his left knee.
However, his decision not to join up with his country during the international break is understood to be precautionary, and will reportedly not see him miss any matches for Arsenal.
The attacker has started eight of the Gunners' nine games this season and has registered four goals and one assist in seven Premier League matches.
Havertz faced criticism for his performances when he first signed for Mikel Arteta's side, but since moving into a centre-forward role last season, the player has proved to be a valuable asset both on and off the ball.
News of his injury may have concerned the Arsenal boss, who has come to rely on the German as a source of goals and creativity, but Standard Sport claim that the forward's injury is not thought to be serious and he could even be available straight after the international break.
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Havertz's importance at Arsenal
Havertz had a reduced pre-season with the Gunners as a result of his exploits for Germany at Euro 2024, but while his knee injury is an unwelcome development, he will at least be able to rest until Arsenal's next match.
There have been suggestions that the forward has been struggling with a knee issue since the end of the last campaign, and the fact he has still managed to feature so regularly and perform so well is admirable.
Last term, Havertz featured in 37 of Arsenal's 38 Premier League matches and played 64 times for club and country across the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
After registering just five direct goal contributions in his first 23 league games with Arsenal, the forward has managed to produce 20 in his next 21 top-flight fixtures.
Havertz has the chance to set the record for most goals in consecutive games at the Emirates should he score for the eighth time in a row at home when Arsenal play Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on October 22.
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Injury-ridden Arsenal
With the Gunners undefeated in third place with 17 points and just one behind leaders Liverpool, Arteta will be thankful that his star striker has seemingly avoided picking up a serious injury.
However, the news on the injury front is not all positive considering Arsenal will still be without Martin Odegaard for their trip to Bournemouth, and Mikel Merino, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori have all missed games this season.
Thomas Partey is also set to stay in London during the international break due to an illness, though he could return for his side's match against the Cherries.
With games against title rivals Liverpool, as well Inter Milan, Newcastle and Chelsea coming up between October 27 and November 10, Arteta will be desperate to avoid any more of his players picking up injuries like captain Odegaard did in the September international break.
If Havertz is only deemed fit enough for a place on Arsenal's substitute bench, then the likes of Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus could come in for the attacker and start alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Lewis Nolan
