Kai Havertz has spoken about his experience of an injury-hit campaign.
After suffering a significant hamstring tear in February 2025, he returned to the team at the end of May. However, he was injured again at Old Trafford on opening matchday against Man United in August, and he endured another setback in February. The German has not completed 90 minutes of football on a single occasion this season, and he has learned to appreciate his playing time even more.
"I think we all know this season was not what I expected it to be, but I always think that things happen for a reason, and now I'm back and I feel good, and I'm happy to help the team again.
"It has been stop-start, but sometimes football is like this. I haven't really faced a challenge like this before in my career, so I just tried to give everything to be back as soon as I could, and now I'm just happy to be back and be here and help the team.
"For me it was just tough, because I never felt that pain before in my life and it just came randomly, but I tried to go through these things. I got my support at home. My family that helped me a lot during that time. Having two surgeries after another is not easy, but I think I'm professional enough to know that this is also part of football sometimes.
"I know that there are so many players out there that went through stages of their career also. And I think I'm still young, so I've got a lot of years hopefully in front of me. Mentally it was tough, but I got help from at home, from Arsenal, from the players, so everyone was lifting my spirits.
“During these times, I felt how much I missed being on the pitch, how much I missed being with the boys, that feeling you have after a game.
"I missed it so much. That's why it was mentally so hard for me, because I couldn't be there. It just gave me a new hunger. I'm confident, I'm feeling good, I'm feeling better. Things can happen, but I'm feeling 100 per cent ready to play games, I'm feeling fit, and I can't wait to help the team in the next couple of months."
