Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has referred to striker Kai Havertz's injury on Friday as a “big blow.”
"It's a big blow because of the injuries we have. We've had players who are injured who've played 130 games in the last two seasons, so it's an accident waiting to happen when you continue to load, load, and load," Arteta told journalists.
Mikel Arteta added that long-term injuries are "an accident waiting to happen" due to the workload players face after Kai Havertz this week joined Arsenal’s lengthy list of absentees.
Havertz's injury, confirmed on Thursday, has ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Injury-hit Arsenal squad
Arsenal says the German forward would need surgery to repair the hamstring injury he suffered during a training camp session in Dubai last week.
Havertz's injury, sustained when he stretched to block a shot, means the Gunners are now without a recognised striker after Gabriel Jesus ruptured his ACL last month.
The situation leaves Arteta with a host of senior players in the treatment room.
As well as Havertz and Jesus, Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Takehiro Tomiyasu for Saturday's Premier League trip to Leicester.
Player work load
"We were having a great Dubai camp, and then the injury happened in an unexpected way, and it's a big blow because of the injuries we have," Arteta said.
Different football managers have long advocated for players for reduced work load, which has been blamed on persistent injuries that have plagued many in the sport.
Pep Guardiola said in September 2023 that only an uprising led by players could prompt football’s power brokers to reduce the number of matches in a season to reduce the strain on players.
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