Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard are battling an illness that found their way into the dressing room.
Havertz missed the New Year’s Day win over Brentford and, despite some initial optimism, was again left out of the squad for Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albionfor which club captain Odegaard also sat on the bench.
With in-form Newcastle United visiting on Tuesday for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, Arteta admitted both Havertz and Odegaard are struggling with their fitness.
“Kai tried but he was really very honest and said, ‘I can’t even train, I don’t feel well at all,'” Arteta revealed after the game. “We tried to see if he could train and he tried his best, but he didn’t make it.
“Martin didn’t train and said ‘I’ll see how I feel [on Saturday] and he did his best to be here because we know the numbers we have.”
Arsenal’s injury the crisis deepened during the game as Ethan Nwaneri, who had impressed in place of the unavailable Bukaya Saka, was withdrawn at half-time.
“It’s really bad news because I think we’ve lost him,” Arteta said of the teenager. “We had to take him off at half-time because of a muscle problem.”
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