Gary Neville has claimed Arsenal have a player who is beginning to remind him of Liverpool legend Roberto Firmino.
Arsenal picked up a crucial three points at Manchester United yesterday and ensured the Premier League title race will go down to the final day of the season.
Despite a difficult period over Christmas, the Gunners have been near-flawless since the turn of the year, having won 15 of their last 17 league games.
Their only defeat came at home to Aston Villa last month while Mikel Arteta’s side also picked up a point at the Etihad Stadium back in March.
Arsenal’s excellent run of form has been down to a few tweaks from Arteta, as well as a handful of players being at the top of their game.
And Kai Havertz has certainly proven plenty of people wrong while leading the line for the Gunners in recent months.
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Neville says Kai Havertz reminds him of Firmino
Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, Neville explained why Havertz is beginning to remind him of former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino.
“Havertz is doing a similar thing to the thing that Firmino did at Liverpool,” the Manchester United legend said. “A little bit where he drops in, he links the play, he is providing a goal threat, but he is subservient to the team.
“He will do whatever the team needs in a game. You remember for large parts of the season, there were large question marks over Kai Havertz, but he has become a really important figure.
“I used to think that Firmino was a wonderful player for Liverpool, and obviously Mane and Salah used to get sort of all the plaudits and the main credit, and that’s right, but I used to always mention Firmino because of the way he played, just connecting midfield into the attack, and Havertz is doing something similar.”
Firmino left Liverpool last summer after eight successful years in Merseyside. The Brazilian wasn’t exactly renowned for his goalscoring prowess but was vital for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The forward netted 111 goals and provided 75 assists in 362 appearances for the Reds, picking up a Champions League and Premier League along the way.
How many goals has Havertz scored for Arsenal this year?
After a difficult start to life at Arsenal, Havertz has really come into his own since the turn of the year.
The German forward managed just four goals and one assist in his first 18 league appearances for the Gunners.
But since his move up front, Havertz has bagged eight times and provided six assists. His improved form has come at an ideal time for Arsenal as they bid to pip Manchester City to the title.
Following yesterday’s win at Old Trafford, Havertz admitted he will be Tottenham’s ‘biggest fan’ as their north London rivals host City on Tuesday evening.