Arsenal are about to face Bayer Leverkusen away in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. At the pre-match press conference, manager Mikel Arteta revealed the condition of Kai Havertz.

Havertz came through the Bayer Leverkusen youth academy and played there for many years. Speaking about Havertz's return to his former club, Arteta emotionally said, "He spent an incredible 10 years here."

“You can feel his deep affection for this place from the way he talks about it, the people and the culture. I’m delighted to see him receive such a warm welcome when he returned; it’s only fair.”

Over the past year, Havertz has been plagued by injuries, something he has never experienced before in his career. Arteta admitted that this was a completely new challenge for him: "When you look at his previous injury record, it's a complete blank; he's never had a muscle strain."

"However, last year he suffered a hamstring injury that required surgery and a knee problem, which was a very difficult period. But for a 15 to 20-year career, this is the growing pain that most players have to go through."

Even during his slump, Arteta remains confident in Havertz: "If anyone can perfectly combine humility, patience, a love for the game, and an extremely strong desire to win, it's definitely Kai."

"He has maintained excellent consistency in training and matches for three consecutive weeks. With the support of his family and teammates, he will definitely be able to enjoy the fruits of his hard work at the end of the season."

In addition to Havertz's return, Arsenal received other positive news. Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Carafiori, who were injured in the FA Cup last weekend, have traveled with the team to Germany and are expected to play. Key center-back Willian Saliba has recovered from his ankle injury, and Gabriel, Rice, and Suwemendy, who were previously rested, will also be fully fit.

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