Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Kai Havertz should be fit enough to return to Arsenal’s squad for Saturday’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Havertz was unable to take part in the win over Brentford on New Year’s Day after picking up an illness that dealt a further blow to Arsenal’s already weakened forward line.
Luckily for Arteta, it looks like the virus has penetrated the Arsenal squad without affecting anyone else.
“I think so,” Arteta said on Saturday about Havertz’s involvement. “Those with the disease, I think they will be fine. They will train and if everyone is well they should be available.”
Arteta is delighted to welcome back winger Raheem Sterling following a knee injury sustained around the same time as Bukayo Saka went down with a nasty hamstring injury.
“He’s starting to do some things on the pitch, so that’s great news,” Arteta continued. “We want it to be available as quickly as possible. Let’s see how he progresses next week and then we’ll see if we can have him available for the following week.”
Defender Ben White remains “a few weeks” away from a comeback, while Arteta will also manage midfielder Declan Rice’s minutes as he continues to struggle with a minor muscle ailment.
“In his case, he played so much football,” the Arsenal manager said. “We have nine games this month and he had a few problems in the last few games so he had to come off. We have to deal with every player and he is no exception.”