Arsenal striker Kai Havertz is set to miss the rest of the season with the hamstring injury he suffered in Dubai, according to a report.
The Germany international is understood to have sustained the issue during a training session on Tuesday, but at the time, there were no indications how severe his problem was.
However, The Athletic now reports that Havertz's problem is a severe one, and the 25-year-old will not feature again before the 2025-26 season on account of a torn hamstring.
The report adds that it is unclear if Havertz will need to go under the knife, but the former Chelsea man is now set to begin months of rehabilitation, with a view to being fit for the start of next term.
How big a blow will Havertz's issue be for Arsenal?
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A penny for the thoughts of the Arsenal decision-makers who opted not to pursue a new attacker in the January transfer window, instead keeping their warchest closed with a view to long-term summer targets.
Such a move was always going to be a massive gamble with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus already out for the long-term, and Mikel Arteta could not hide his disappointment when his side failed to bring in any fresh faces over the winter.
With Havertz out for the season and Gabriel Martinelli also facing a few weeks on the sidelines with his own hamstring injury, Arsenal's punt has backfired in the most extraordinary way possible, and the German's absence might be the most damaging blow yet.
While any Gooner can attest to how frustrating an attacker Havertz can be - especially with his collection of horror misses in recent weeks - the 25-year-old is still comfortably Arsenal's top scorer this term with 15 goals in all competitions.
Havertz also brings a sturdy physical presence and an unselfishness in the final third of the field, and unless Arsenal hit the panic button and try to sign a free agent, Arteta will be working with a threadbare set of internal solutions.
How could Arsenal line up after Havertz injury?
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For the next few weeks at the very least, Arteta's only 'senior' offensive options will be an out-of-sorts Raheem Sterling, a hot-and-cold Leandro Trossard and a 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, whom he has been so cautious not to overplay so far.
However, the Spaniard will seemingly have no choice but to deploy a Nwaneri-Trossard-Sterling frontline in every game until Martinelli is back, and while any one of the three could fill in up front, Trossard will be expected to step into Havertz's shoes.
Alternatively, Under-21s striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji could be given more chances to prove his worth up front, after making his senior debut for the Gunners in their recent Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb.
The 22-year-old has been putting up some excellent numbers in the Premier League 2 this season, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 13 matches, and Arteta may have no choice but to throw him into the spotlight more often now.
Diego Costa, Ryan Kent and Venezia-linked Wissam Ben Yedder represent the most high-profile free agents on the market right now, but if Arsenal's title challenge completely crumbles in the wake of their latest two blows, the latest January window might just go down as the Gunners' worst under Arteta so far.
Ben Knapton
