Arsenal star Kai Havertz has been told that Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann ‘doesn’t respect’ him. Former Gunners captain William Gallas believes that Havertz being used as a left-back by his national team does not ‘look good’ on the playmaker.
Havertz was surprisingly deployed as a defender during Germany’s 3-2 defeat by Turkey last week. In an eventful evening for the Gunners summer signing, he opened the scoring in the friendly but conceded a late penalty as the Germans were condemned to another disappointing reverse.
Ex-Arsenal defender Gallas says that something must be wrong for Havertz to have started in a back four. The Frenchman was left stunned while watching the game.
“At 24, Kai Havertz is playing as a left-back for his country? Seriously? Something is very wrong. I don’t know what to say about this,” Gallas told Genting Casino.
“For me, to make this decision, it seems like Nagelsmann doesn’t respect Havertz as a player. Havertz has spent his entire career playing as an attacking player and then you put him in at left back?
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“I’m trying to think about it from the player’s point of view… this doesn’t look good.”
Germany have automatically qualified for Euro 2024 as hosts and Nagelsmann was likely simply testing Havertz in the role as a possible option ahead of the tournament. However, the move did not go down well in the country.
Iconic former Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaus said Nagelsmann is at risk of wasting one of the country’s best attacking talents. He wrote in a column for Sky Germany: “Havertz brings a lot of quality. He was not trained in this position, but in the offensive [areas] and mainly centrally.
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“I accept that the national coach wanted to try something out, but I hope it doesn’t happen again – even though Havertz was one of the better players against Turkey.
“If we want to have his qualities in the team, we have to find a place where he can show the extra class that he partly embodied during the last World Cup. It can’t be a permanent solution if we suddenly let one of the best German offensive players of recent years play full-back.”
Havertz has endured a frustrating start to life at Arsenal, having been snapped up in a £60million deal from Chelsea in the summer. The 24-year-old has scored just once, a penalty gifted to him by captain Martin Odegaard.
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