Havertz forced off inside 30 minutes on Germany debut under Klopp with muscle concern

Kai Havertz was substituted inside 30 minutes of Germany’s 1-1 Nations League draw with the Netherlands on Thursday, raising injury concerns for both club and country ahead of a congested fixture schedule.

The 27-year-old was caught by a heavy challenge from Quinten Timber — the brother of his Arsenal team-mate Jurrien — and was replaced by Younes Ebnoutalib after receiving on-pitch treatment from Germany’s medical staff. The incident occurred during Jurgen Klopp’s first match in charge of the national side.

Klopp confirmed post-match that both Havertz and Jamal Musiala — who had picked up a thigh injury in the warm-up despite being named in the starting XI — would undergo scans. “Both will undergo scans tonight,” Klopp said. “They’re probably out for us, but I hope they’ll be back soon [for Arsenal and Bayern Munich].”

Havertz’s issue is believed to be muscular, and Klopp indicated he is unlikely to feature in Sunday’s Nations League fixture against Greece, nor in Germany’s subsequent matches against Serbia and Greece on 1 and 4 October respectively.

The news will alarm Arsenal supporters. Havertz missed a significant stretch last season — from mid-August 2024 to early January 2025 — and has only recently re-established himself as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice striker. This term he has accumulated 438 Premier League minutes, scoring twice, including an early strike in Arsenal’s 3-0 opening-day win over Coventry and a goal in the 2-0 victory over Chelsea in early September.

Arsenal currently sit second in the Premier League table, having lost 3-0 at Brighton in their most recent league outing. Manchester City lead the standings with five wins from five, having overtaken the Gunners — who pipped Pep Guardiola’s side to the title in 2024-25 — at the top.

The full extent of Havertz’s injury remains unclear pending scan results.