Arsenal star Kai Havertz to miss the rest of the SEASON as 'significant' details of his hamstring injury are revealed after trip to Dubai - leaving Mikel Arteta without a striker

Kai Havertz has suffered a ‘significant’ hamstring injury which is set to rule him out of the rest of the season. Mail Sport exclusively revealed on Tuesday night that the Arsenal star had suffered the worrying hamstring injury scare whilst on club’s training trip to Dubai. And well-placed sources have indicated the injury will result in Havertz spending a lengthy period on the sidelines. It leaves the striker as a major doubt for the rest of the season. The news arrives as a crushing blow to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is already without several attacking players with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all missing through injury.

Havertz is the club’s top scorer this season with 15 goals and his absence will hit their ambitions of overhauling Liverpool at the top of the table this season. Arsenal were criticised for not adding an attacker to their ranks during the January window and the injury to Havertz will only serve to intensify the backlash. Kai Havertz could be set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury earlier this week.

The Gunners are currently on a training trip in Dubai as they look to challenge for honours in the second half of the season. Meanwhile, Arsenal have explored the option of Takehiro Tomiyasu undergoing surgery to cure his long-standing knee problem. The Japan defender has played just six minutes of football this season, coming on as a late substitute in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton in October following a three month recovery from a knee injury that saw him miss the start of the season.

But he has not featured since that win over the Saints after suffering an injury setback. Indeed, Mail Sport understands there is emerging concern for Tomiyasu’s long-term fitness with club medics believed to have given serious consideration to the option of an operation for their versatile defender. It is unclear whether a final decision on surgery has been made - but it has been an option discussed at the club’s London Colney HQ.

A new operation would require a lengthy rehabilitation programme and likely rule Tomiyasu out for a significant period of time. In 2023, Tomiyasu underwent his first knee operation which kept the 26-year-old out of action for three months. With that in mind, a second procedure on the joint would arrive as a blow to Tomiyasu, whose time at Arsenal has been beset by injury issues. Mikel Arteta is already missing a number of forward options and admitted that he was disappointed the club did not invest in an attacker in January.

Bukayo Saka travelled with his Arsenal team-mates to their winter training camp in Dubai. Speaking last month head coach Mikel Arteta provided a positive update on Tomiyasu’s fitness saying: ‘Tomi has done some stuff on the pitch, but now because it’s been a long-term injury, we need to see how quickly he can progress and how he reacts.’. But there is now some pessimism regarding Tomiyasu’s fitness amplified by the discussions over a potential operation.