Kai Havertz savaged by MUTV commentator for display in Arsenal vs Man Utd | OneFootball

Kai Havertz savaged by MUTV commentator for display in Arsenal vs Man Utd | OneFootball

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·23 July 2023

Kai Havertz savaged by MUTV commentator for display in Arsenal vs Man Utd

Article image:Kai Havertz savaged by MUTV commentator for display in Arsenal vs Man Utd

Arsenal fell to defeat in their pre-season clash against Manchester United in New Jersey on Saturday evening.

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Mikel Arteta fielded a strong side with new signings Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice, as well as Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, all in the starting lineup.

But The Gunners were second best as they were beaten 2-0 at MetLife Stadium.

First-half goals from Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho gave United the victory.

There was a penalty shootout after the match with both sides agreeing it would be good practice for the new season.

Arsenal also fell to defeat in that, with Fabio Vieira's miss giving United a 5-3 triumph.

Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal decided to sign Havertz in a £65m move from Chelsea this summer.

The German midfielder was largely underwhelming during his stint at The Blues but Arteta was convinced he would improve his side.

Havertz was deployed in a midfield three alongside Rice and Odegaard against United.

And his performance did not impress MUTV commentator, Ben Thornley.

Thornley was extremely critical of Havertz throughout the game.

The official United commentator savaged Arsenal's new signing just after half-time.

"I would have just taken Havertz off because he is rubbish!" He exclaimed. Watch the moment below...

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 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 by SofaScore, 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."

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