Kai Havertz: 'I'll try to prove myself again'
"Last season was like a benchmark for me, so it has been difficult to keep pace with this," says Kai Havertz.
Bayer Leverkusen starlet Kai Havertz admits he has struggled to reproduce his form of the 2018/19 season that saw him find the net 17 times in 34 Bundesliga appearances.
The 20-year-old, who has scored two league goals in 10 games this season so far, told Bundesliga.com:
"Last season was like a benchmark for me, so it has been difficult to keep pace with this. This was my aim, and I started this season well with two goals in the first two games. It's normal for a young player like me to then experience a small dip, but these are phases that shape you as a player and as a person.
"You learn the most in these situations, and I think it was the first time in my career that praise wasn't constantly being heaped on me. The things being written about me weren't all positive, but things like that do not hold me back, and I'll just try to prove myself again," Havertz said.
The 20-year-old is currently out with a muscle injury and hopes to be able to return to the pitch soon.
Asked when he expects to be back, Havertz told Bundesliga.com:
"It's my first muscle injury and my first injury in general, so I can't really say. I don't think it will be too much longer. Injuries are always annoying, but it was bound to happen at some point. I stayed injury free for a long time and now it has finally happened. This won't be a setback for me, and luckily it's not a bad injury. It's just a small injury and I will definitely come back stronger."