Havertz to miss Germany qualifiers after knee surgery

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has undergone a minor knee operation and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, the club said on Thursday, ruling him out of Germany's upcoming World Cup qualifiers and Arsenal's trip to Liverpool. The 26 year old sustained the injury after coming on as a second half substitute in the 1-0 opening-day win at Manchester United on August 17 and missed last weekend's 5-0 victory over Leeds.

"Further to sustaining a knee injury after our recent game against Manchester United on 17 August, subsequent assessments and specialist reviews with Kai confirmed that surgery would be required," Arsenal said in a statement. "Today, Kai underwent a successful minor surgical procedure. He will shortly begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme, with everyone fully focused on supporting Kai to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible."

Germany's national team director Rudi Voller had already confirmed Havertz would be omitted from his country's qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland and warned that the club and internationals were still determining whether surgery would be needed. "He certainly won't make it," Voller said, adding that...