Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta has praised Kai Havertz for present process a bodily transformation whereas recovering from a hamstring damage.
Havertz has been out of motion since February after sustaining the damage throughout a mid-season coaching camp in Dubai. Initially, it was unsure if he would function once more this time period, however the 24-year-outdated is now in competition to return for Sunday’s residence match towards Newcastle.
Followers took discover of Havertz’s noticeably extra muscular body throughout a latest open coaching session at the Emirates, and Arteta confirmed that the ahead had used his time on the sidelines to reinvent himself bodily.
“There’s been a transformation in his physique,” Arteta stated. “The final three years in his profession have been so condensed that he hasn’t had time to do that and this has been a window and he actually wished to use it.
“To be honest, the workers and how they have defined the alternative that is inside with his physique to go to a totally different stage and the issues that he can enhance and it can even assist him mentally as properly as being extra efficient as a participant.
“He acquired on board with that, he labored exhausting, acquired on board with that, you can see his presence and I suppose he destroyed all the metrics that we had in the health club for the final 10 years.”
Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jorginho RETURN to coaching. 🔙 pic.twitter.com/6vgtITXA8J
— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) May 14, 2025
“Energy, acceleration, muscle mass, the approach that he has elevated sure capacities in his physique, his agility, he’s been unbelievable. I was speaking to the medical workers the different day and they have been speaking about that.”
Arteta was fast to applaud the optimistic affect Havertz had on his team-mates regardless of not being out there for choice, noting that his angle helped set a larger commonplace for the relaxation of the squad.
“It’s been a phenomenal effort from all of them underneath the circumstances. Final residence sport is at all times a particular event and it is our likelihood to wrap up Champions League qualification.
“For somebody that is not in the crew to have that mindset, the solely factor he has completed is elevate the requirements in the constructing as a result of the different ones in the constructing who are injured have been trying at him, ‘I’m going to look unhealthy if I don’t do the similar’ so that’s half of the tradition.”
“And very grateful as a result of when the gamers that are not enjoying are doing that, it’s simply elevating the bar for the subsequent one to come. If he is not at that stage he is going to get uncovered so that will make us higher.”
