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Kai Havertz injury update as Arsenal prepare to make big decision on Leeds return
Oct 07 2026 20:48 · By Tony Mogan · 30 Reads
Havertz has been Arteta’s first choice striker this season (Picture: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Arsenal are hoping Kai Havertz’s hamstring injury is not serious as they prepare to return to Premier League action against Leeds United this weekend.
Havertz has been Mikel Arteta’s firm first choice centre forward so far this season, starting all five Premier League games with Viktor Gyokeres managing just 29 minutes of top flight action.
The former Chelsea star started Germany’s first match under Jurgen Klopp at the start of the international break but was forced off after 30 minutes after a challenge from Quentin Timber, twin brother of his Gunners teammate Jurrien.
The German FA later confirmed the 27-year-old had suffered a ‘muscle strain’, returning to north London for treatment.
Havertz has had long spells out of the team with various issues over the last three seasons. The former Bayer Leverkusen youngster missed over three months of action during the second-half of the 2024-25 season due to a hamstring injury he suffered during a warm-weather camp in Dubai which required surgery.
A knee issue suffered at the start of last season ensured he did not start a league match until the end of January earlier this year.
Havertz’s latest issue is not thought to be serious however with reports in Germany suggesting he would be facing four weeks out. Backdating that timeline to when it was originally suffered, it could still see him miss an important run of games in October, including the visit to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Havertz was forced off for Germany with a hamstring issue (Picture: 2026 Getty Images)
‘A strain can be quite a generic term but in the context of the timeline that has been given, what they are likely saying is this is a light grade muscle strain instead of a big tear,’ Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics, told Metro.
‘If that’s the case it is likely a grade one or two issue, so anything from two to four weeks would fit for that.’
Havertz returned to Arsenal for assessment at the end of September, giving the staff at the club plenty of time to assess the latest issue.