Arsenal forward Kai Havertz does not see supersub Deniz Undav as a rival for his place in Germany’s World Cup starting line-up.
“I really appreciate him being here,” Havertz said of Stuttgart striker Undav, who has three goals in two appearances off the bench at the tournament.
“We needed Deniz, most recently against the Ivory Coast, where he scored the winner for us,” Havertz told newspaper Die Zeit on Wednesday.
With Germany already qualified for the Round of 32 as Group E winners, coach Julian Nagelsmann could seek to rotate the squad for the final group fixture against Ecuador in New Jersey on Thursday, with some commentators questioning whether Undav should enter the starting XI.
Havertz – who bagged a brace in the 7-1 opening win over Curaçao – said he and Undav could start together.
“We can play well together, after all – me behind him or alongside him. I’m happy for any teammate who delivers. We’re a team,” he said.
As vice captain, Havertz plays a leadership role in the team, but he does not see himself as one of the elders in the squad.
“I’m not the sort to shout my head off before a match. We’ve got others who take the lead – Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rüdiger, and Pascal Gross too,” he explained. “They’re all over 30. I see myself more in the same age group as [23-year-olds] Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. But I also want to lead the way when things aren’t going our way.”
Playing in the Premier League, Havertz is not in the spotlight for German fans to the same extent as his teammates in the Bundesliga, and he believes this can lead some to underestimate him.
“That was also the case at times with Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündoğan, who played abroad for years,” said the former Bayer Leverkusen player.
A scorer in Champions League finals in 2021 and 2026, Havertz said he has his own strategy when it comes to hunting for goals.
“The defenders should never know where I am, where I’m going, what I’m up to, or where I’ll be and when. That’s the worst thing for them. I try to be a ghost to the defenders,” he explained.
