Mikel Arteta: Kai Havertz's injury problems caused by sudden increase to workload

Havertz, who suffered a serious knee injury at the start of the season, was sidelined from August until January. Since his comeback, he has made six appearances, gradually regaining match fitness.

However, the midfielder has been unavailable for the last two games due to a hamstring problem, prompting Arteta to manage his minutes carefully.

The German's fitness will be a boost for Arsenal as they prepare for one of the season's most high-profile fixtures.

While his inclusion in Sunday's squad is not yet confirmed, the club is hopeful that careful management will allow him to feature without risking further injury.

"He was really good, and the last game against Sunderland at home, he finished the game, so we planned to play 60-70 minutes, he was good, but then post-game he had certain symptoms," Arteta said.

"It doesn't seem to be something very, very important, but enough to bring him down. Obviously, when you look at his load, don't do almost anything in 11 months, and then start to play games.

"Obviously, the load is going to spike, and when that happens, sometimes the body reacts, and even though Kai wants to deny it, and we all want to deny it, we need to really manage that really well." 

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