Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has picked up a muscle injury and is set for another spell on the sidelines.
The Germany attacker will miss Thursday’s Premier League match at Brentford and is likely to miss the FA Cup game against Wigan on Sunday.
Arsenal face north London rivals Tottenham on 22 February and Havertz is also a doubt for that fixture – meaning he could miss up to four matches with the Gunners also playing Wolves next week in the league.
Havertz has struggled with injuries and had only recently recovered from a knee problem he picked up on the opening day of the season which had kept him out for about five months.
Prior to that problem, Havertz injured his hamstring on a training camp in Dubai in February 2025 and needed surgery on the issue which saw him miss the end of last season.
His latest injury is a concern for Mikel Arteta as the Gunners boss is also without midfielder Mikel Merino who has had surgery on a foot problem.
Captain Martin Odegaard, England attacker Bukayo Saka and youngster Max Dowman have also been missing through injury in recent weeks.
Analysis: Will Havertz impact mini-Gyokeres resurgence?
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
Kai Havertz had given Arsenal an attacking boost when they needed it most. After the loss to Manchester United raised questions about the Gunners’ ability to generate chances from open play, Havertz’s return to the team brought some new energy.
In the four matches since that United game, Havertz started three and Arsenal scored 11 goals. He managed two goals and two assists in those games, in a reminder of why Mikel Arteta rates him so highly.
One area where Havertz really benefited Arsenal was his partnership with under-fire striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker has played three matches with Havertz and scored in all of them, with the German even setting Gyokeres up against Kairat Almaty and Sunderland.
With debates surrounding who should start up front and in attacking midfield for Arsenal, Arteta thought he found the answer – for the time being – with the Gyokeres-Havertz partnership. But now the Arsenal manager has to think again.
Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have faced their critics in recent weeks in terms of attacking and creative output – but now the pair have to step up between them to lead Arsenal’s attack behind the central striker.
The next two-and-a-half weeks will see the Gunners face one of the Premier League form teams in Brentford, plus two more London derbies against a new-look Spurs and Chelsea. Which attacking players out of Gyokeres, Odegaard and Eze will step up when the team needs them to?