Kai Havertz injury blow as Arsenal face Liverpool test

Kai Havertz will miss Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool on Sunday as well as Germany’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers, with uncertainty remaining over whether the forward will require knee surgery.

The 26-year-old picked up the injury during a substitute appearance against Manchester United on the opening weekend of the Premier League.

He was absent from Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds on Saturday.

Manager Mikel Arteta admitted the club are still assessing the severity of the problem, saying further tests would be conducted “to explore the issue a little bit further and decide what we’re going to do.”

Germany’s national team director Rudi Völler confirmed Havertz will not feature in qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland, adding that surgery is still a possibility.

“He certainly won’t make it, he has a knee injury,” Völler said.

“We don’t know exactly how it will go in the coming weeks, whether surgery is upcoming or it will be treated conservatively.”

Havertz endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines last season, missing over three months after tearing a hamstring during a training camp in Dubai.

Fears that his latest setback could lead to another lengthy absence are believed to have accelerated Arsenal’s pursuit of Eberechi Eze, who joined from Crystal Palace in a £67.5m move and could make his debut at Anfield.

Arsenal are also facing further injury concerns.

Bukayo Saka is expected to miss the Liverpool clash and England’s qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia after suffering a hamstring injury against Leeds.

The issue is not as serious as first feared — the 23-year-old has not required specialist treatment — but he is likely to be sidelined for three to four weeks.

Captain Martin Odegaard is also a doubt for Anfield after sustaining a shoulder injury, though he has been called up by Norway for their qualifiers against Finland and Moldova.