Arsenal forward/midfielder Kai Havertz is nearing a return from his knee injury. It isn’t going to happen in the League Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday night, but it will happen soon. It is possible that we’ll see the German striker/attacking mid play again in 2025; maybe.
“I don’t want to say [when he will return] because I think in the last part of rehab, we need to be cautious,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of Havertz.
League Cup Quarterfinal FYIs
Arsenal FC vs Crystal Palace
Kickoff: Tue. Dec. 23rd, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Arsenal Team News
“I will have to be firm every step of the way to make sure when he is back, he is back for the long-term.”
A return in early 2026 is probably more likely for Havertz. The same can be said for Gabriel Magalhaes and his groin injury.
“He is pushing hard, as he always does,” Arteta said this weekend.
“He’s evolving really well – doing pitch sessions – so he’s not too far. We have to see in the last stages of that rehab how he progresses. But we are quite positive about it.”
Elsewhere Ben White remains sidelined, due to a hamstring injury. Arteta provided an update on his status on Friday afternoon, stating:
“He is out. He’s evolving. It’s not a major [hamstring] injury, but it will keep him out for a few games. Ben is a really fast healer as well, so let’s hope that we’re going to have him in the next few games.”
So we’re looking at an early to mid-January return for him. Otherwise the injury situation remains the same right now.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.