Paul Merson calls Kai Havertz’s injury “unacceptable” and urges Arsenal’s attackers to step up

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Havertz has been ruled out of Arsenal’s remaining fixtures this campaign due to injury.

Former Arsenal player and current football pundit Paul Merson has expressed frustration with Kai Havertz’s season-ending injury, calling it “unacceptable.” Havertz, who was injured during a warm-weather training camp in Dubai, will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season. This injury comes as a significant blow to Arsenal, who are already struggling with a depleted attack.

Merson criticized Havertz for the injury, stating that it could have been avoided with proper stretching and warm-up routines. “To tear a hamstring in training is near on unacceptable,” Merson said on Sky Sports. “If you stretch properly, that doesn’t happen.”

With Havertz out, Merson has urged other Arsenal attackers to step up and fill the void. He specifically mentioned Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling, and Ethan Nwaneri as players who need to deliver if Arsenal are to have any chance of winning their first league title since 2004. “It’s going to be Trossard, Nwaneri, and Sterling, the front three, in my opinion,” Merson said. “You’re going to sit down with Sterling and say, ‘Right, you’ve got six or seven games, go out, enjoy it, show us what you’ve got and go out and play.'”

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Merson believes that these players have the potential to make a difference and help Arsenal in their title chase. “The sky is the limit for Nwaneri, he will be in the team on a consistent basis – we never know,” he added.

Arsenal trail Liverpool by seven points in the Premier League title race, putting pressure on the remaining attackers to step up and deliver. With 14 games left in the season, every point will be crucial, and Merson’s call for the attackers to rise to the occasion highlights the importance of their contributions.

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