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Mikel Arteta has expressed confidence that his team can continue to cope with injury setbacks after revealing that star striker Kai Havertz remains out for the coming weeks.

Prolonged Recovery for German Star

The German forward has been out since the summer after undergoing knee surgery. Hoped to be available sooner, Arteta explained the player faced a hurdle when advancing his recovery and could not progress “to the next level.”

“Our experience helped us build a group that is considerably steadier and has increased versatility,” stated the manager.

Selection Dilemma for Brentford Clash

This development leaves a dilemma for the midweek home game against Brentford. The manager needs to decide between sticking with Mikel Merino, who scored as a makeshift striker against Chelsea, or bringing back Viktor Gyökeres, who made a return from a muscle injury as a substitute. Long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus is also in contention after 11 months out.

Fitness Doubts Persist

More doubts affect defender William Saliba and attacker Leandro Trossard, who both missed the weekend encounter. Therefore, recent arrivals Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are expected to start again in the heart of the defence for the Premier League front-runners.

Arteta believes the £250m spend on squad depth ahead of this season has resulted in a far better place to handle such unavailability.

Greater Options Key to Title Challenge

In response if more options was helping their league challenge, Arteta was emphatic. “Yes, as this campaign has been worse in some areas, and now the problems with the defence,” he continued.

“We learned from the past that we have to use players in different positions, and they need to be prepared to adapt to new tasks if we aim to challenge at this level. And the instance of Mikel is probably the prime illustration.”

Arteta's Support for Suffering Havertz

Addressing the delay noted by national team coach Julian Nagelsmann, the manager gave further detail. “He was doing everything. He failed to advance to the next level and now the signs are like we have solved that issue.”

Arteta expressed his keenness to welcome him back. “We’re all desperate to have him. Truly, it’s a player that, in my view, I value highly for what he brings to the team, but his character, his nature. I observe his frustration while sidelined.”

“His availability record is exceptional, he's usually fit, and I look forward to have him back with the squad and playing because I believe it’s going to be a huge lift.”