Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has had a mixed season, going from strength to strength under Mikel Arteta but spending several months out due to injury.
The Germany international had been sidelined since February after tearing his hamstring during the Gunners’ warm-weather training break in Dubai.
It was initially unclear whether Havertz would even feature again this season, but the Arsenal attacker returned ahead of schedule against Newcastle United last week.
Now, David Ornstein has lifted the lid on what he’s been hearing about Havertz from Gunners sources, and what they think of him behind the scenes.
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Kai Havertz said to be a very quick learner at Arsenal
David Ornstein held his latest fan Q&A session on The Athletic, and an Arsenal fan asked him how highly rated Kai Havertz was at Arsenal.
He said everyone at the club adores Havertz, suggesting he’s a manager’s dream, and added that his return ahead of schedule will be seen as a “major boost”.
“Arteta and everyone at Arsenal loves Havertz, as a player and character,” replied Ornstein.
“It is said he understands and implements what Arteta asks for extremely quickly and how the manager wants it done.
“His return ahead of schedule will be viewed internally as a major boost to the club, especially heading into an absolutely critical season.”
Kai Havertz’s ‘incredible’ transformation
At the advice of Arsenal’s medical staff, Havertz used his rehabilitation period as a chance to bulk up in the gym.
Mikel Arteta noticed the difference and said he feels Havertz has reached “a different level” with regards to his physicality.
“There’s been a transformation in his body,” Arteta told reporters last week.
“The last three years in his career have been so condensed that he hasn’t had time to do that and this has been a window and he really wanted to use it.
“He got on board with that, he worked hard, you can see his presence and I think he destroyed all the metrics that we had in the gym for the last 10 years.
“All of them – power, acceleration, muscle mass. The way that he has increased certain capacities in his body, his agility, he’s been incredible.”
