Havertz suffered the hamstring injury during a warm weather training camp in Dubai and his absence leaves Arsenal without a recognised centre forward for the remainder of the campaign.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sounded the alarm over player workload, saying his team’s injury crisis is “a consequence” of increasing demands on footballers. Arteta said he was training his squad “less than ever” in a bid to balance a schedule that can require European football’s top stars to play 60-70 games a season.