As per Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, midfielder Kai Havertz has tested positive for the global virus and the Germany international has subsequently gone into self-isolation, which left him out as Chelsea went on to beat Rennes 3-0 in their Champions League match on Wednesday.
Havertz is also poised to miss Chelsea's game against Sheffield United on Saturday as well as Germany's three upcoming matches.
Havertz made headlines when he joined the Blues from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial fee of £70m during the summer transfer window. However, despite scoring four goals and three assists during his first 10 appearances for Chelsea, Havertz has received some flack for his play during the final third of matches. In fact, three of his four goals came in a single match, when Chelsea beat second-tier team Barnsley 6-0 in the Carabao Cup back in September.
However, despite Havertz's slow start, team-mate and fellow countryman Timo Werner feels it's just a matter of time before he starts showing what he's capable of, and said before the game against Rennes, “I know Kai very well and I think he is one of the most talented players in the whole world."
"He is a young boy, only 21 and he can learn a lot but can already play like a very, very old and wise player. I think up until now he feels very well here.
"A bit like me, we have talked a lot about settling in and he feels he is very happy to be here. In a lot of games, he has shown what he can do, what he can bring to the team.
"For Kai, it is very important to score, but I think what you can see in his game, he is about a lot more than scoring goals as a midfield player. He plays a lot of key passes, makes a lot of movement for other players.
"He is very talented and feels good. He will get better and better, like me he has come to a new country, language and style of football and has to learn, but until now he plays very good and we will see a lot more good games from him.”
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Oli Scarff
