Kai Havertz's return will be more crucial for Arsenal than many think

Kai Havertz made his return from injury when he came off the bench for Arsenal in their 4-1 FA Cup third round victory at Portsmouth.

Having spent months on the sidelines after picking up a knee issue in the season opener at Manchester United, the German has made his long-awaited comeback and will be prepared to give his all for the Gunners in the second-half of the campaign.

Mikel Arteta will be thrilled to have Havertz back at his disposal, but his return will actually be a lot more crucial than many think.

Kai Havertz's Arsenal return will be more crucial than many think

While Arsenal already have a packed squad, Havertz will no doubt offer reinforcement to his side's attacking line, but that's not all he will be doing as he will look to do something a certain player has struggled to.

If there's one thing Arsenal haven't struggled with this season, it's scoring goals. Having netted 66 in 31 games across all competitions, the Gunners haven't found it difficult to find the back of the net, but there is still room for improvement.

Viktor Gyökeres has been Arteta's first-choice striker when fit this campaign, but has struggled for consistency and form since making a big money summer move from Sporting, contributing just seven goals to his team's tally.

While the Swede has needed time to adapt to the Premier League, his performances have been well below par, with his showings away from goal not impressing many and that has prompted suggestions he should be dropped from the side.

Mikel Merino had stepped in as striker while Gyökeres was out injured, doing quite a good job of it, but with Havertz now back and available, the Spaniard won't be the go to stand-in anymore.

Gyökeres was brought in as the striker that Arsenal had needed for a long time, but he hasn't offered what is required, meaning a change is now needed. He has plenty of opportunities to improve his performances, but has failed to do so and his time may now have run out.

As they continue their title charge and look to compete for other trophies, the Gunners are going to need their attack to contribute goals consistently and at this current time, Havertz is likely to do a better job of that than Gyökeres.

Once Havertz is back to full fitness, he should be brought in as the first-choice striker until his Swedish counterpart can prove himself in front of goal once again. If he wasn't struggling so much, he would remain the top option, but that mantle should now belong to Havertz if Arsenal want to seriously challenge in the second-half of the season.

Of course, the pair should be rotated, but the German has to be given a chance to prove he can provide the goals the Gunners need.