"He has that way of moving around the pitch" - Dimitar Berbatov surprisingly names Arsenal star as player who is most similar to him
Dimitar Berbatov has named Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz as the player he feels mostly resembles himself.
Havertz has enjoyed an upturn in form recently which has led to plaudits from many within the football world. The German forward has bagged five goals and one assist in 26 games across competitions this season.
The 24-year-old joined Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer for £67.5 million and was handed a midfield role by Mikel Arteta. He's started to excel in the role and has popped up with some vital goals.
Berbatov did just that during his career while in the Premier League. He scored 94 goals in 229 league games for the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. The Bulgarian is regarded as one of the most unique and talented forwards to grace English football.
The Red Devils legend lavished praise on Havertz by naming him as the player who reminds him of himself. He said (via talkSPORT):
"I don’t like comparing, but to answer the question, the first person popping into my mind is Kai Havertz."
Berbatov touched on Havertz's playing style which sees him often take his time on the ball before picking out the right pass. He said:
"He has that way of moving around the pitch and not necessarily in a way that he’s in a hurry. He’s watching, he’s studying, he’s taking his time. He has a good touch as well on the ball. So I like him to be honest and I wish him all the best at Arsenal.”
Havertz arrived in the Premier League with Chelsea in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen. The Bundesliga side are also one of Berbatov's former clubs and the Germany international is somewhat following in the Premier League icon's footsteps.
Kai Havertz explains how he has refound form at Arsenal
Havertz explained how not allowing criticism get to him has led to his recent career resurgence with the Gunners. He told Sky Germany:
"Of course it wasn’t my best time, I’ll be honest and I can get a lot more out of myself,” he added. My self-confidence suffered a bit from time to time. Nevertheless, I believe that I am now so strong that I can work my way out of such depths."
Havertz started the Premier League campaign without a goal or assist in his first six games with Arsenal. He stressed that he's not always able to please everyone and that satisfying those around him is most important:
"You can’t please everyone anyway. Sometimes they like you, sometimes they don’t like you – and I accept that. As long as the people around me are happy with me, that’s enough for me."
The former Blues forward will hope to continue his superb form when the Gunners are in action on Saturday (December 23). They travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in a top-of-the-table clash, with Arteta's side a point ahead of the Merseysiders.