Kai Havertz didn’t have his best game, and Manchester United’s official commentator didn’t hold back in expressing this observation.
Arsenal fielded a strong side for their pre-season clash against Manchester United in New Jersey, with new signings Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice, along with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, all starting.
However, The Gunners were outperformed as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the MetLife Stadium. Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho scored the first-half goals that secured victory for United.
After the match, there was a penalty shootout with both teams agreeing that it would be good practice for the upcoming season. Unfortunately for Arsenal, they also fell to defeat in the shootout, with Fabio Vieira’s miss resulting in a 5-3 triumph for Manchester United.
Kai Havertz savaged by MUTV commentator during friendly
Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal made the decision to sign Kai Havertz in a £65m move from Chelsea this summer.
The German midfielder had a rather underwhelming stint at Chelsea, but Mikel Arteta was convinced he could be an improvement for his side.
Havertz was deployed in a midfield three alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the match against Manchester United.
Unfortunately for Havertz, his performance did not impress MUTV commentator, Ben Thornley, who was extremely critical of him throughout the game.
Thornley didn’t hold back and savaged Arsenal’s new signing just after half-time, expressing his disappointment with Havertz’s display on the pitch.
“I would have just taken Havertz off because he is rubbish!” He exclaimed. Watch the moment below…
Commentators calling Havertz Rubbish pic.twitter.com/9zeZ7Vqvr8
— Willy marvin (@Willymarvin2) July 22, 2023
Thornley then denied he has something against Havertz, but we’re not so sure…
Havertz went on to play 71 minutes before being replaced by Emile Smith Rowe.
Kai Havertz’s highlights in Arsenal vs Manchester United
Havertz”s highlights from the match have been compiled by YouTube user ED Comps. Was the MUTV commentator right to call him rubbish? Make your mind up by watching the video below…
Kai Havertz’s stats in Arsenal vs Manchester United
Havertz’s stats from the match suggest that it was harsh for him to be called ‘rubbish’.
The German midfielder was given a rating of 6.6/10 bySofaScore, the third highest among Arsenal players that started the match.
Havertz did well in the defensive side of the game. He won five of his 10 ground duels, was successful in his only aerial duel, recorded an interception and made two tackles.
But, going forward, he struggled to make a mark. He only made 15 passes during the whole match, completing 14 of those.
He lost the ball four times, failed to hit the target with his only shot at goal and didn’t record a single key pass.
What did Mikel Arteta say about Arsenal’s midfield three after the match?
Arteta spoke to the media after the game and he was encouraged by the midfield trio of Rice, Havertz and Odegaard.
He said, per Arsenal’s official website:“When they play 55 times together they will be better. It will flow better, they will understand each other better and will be more dominant and better.
“But it takes time to glide and we have to respect that. But I saw a lot of positive things, and things I like much more than the game we won the other day against the MLS even though the result is very different.”
Arsenal are next in action on Wednesday evening when they take on Barcelona at SoFi Stadium in California.