Germany manager Hansi Flick believes Kai Havertz is now struggling at the club level due to fierce competition for spots at Chelsea.
Last week, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel surprisingly admitted that Havertz’s poor form was the reason he did not feature in their Premier League win over Southampton.
The 22-year-old, Tuchel said, was not in his best shape.
It seems that the versatile attacker’s underwhelming form might also cost him a spot in the national team.
Although, Flick argued that competition at Chelsea means cementing regular spots was never going to be easy for both Havertz and Timo Werner.
“Everyone has to have the initiative to improve – also at the clubs,” the Germany boss said during his press conference on Thursday (via DFB’s official website).
“He [Werner] can be very happy with his development at Chelsea.
“He is on a very good path there, but Chelsea has a team where it is not easy to play.
“Kai Havertz is experiencing that right now. They have a top line-up and enormous quality.
“In your career, you always have to go through these valleys.
“For me, it’s about everyone being able to say when they look back, ‘I did a lot of things right.'”
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According to German publication Sport1, Havertz is likely to initially be the bench against Romania, while his Chelsea teammates; Werner and Antonio Rudiger are expected to start.
The former Bayer Leverkusen ace has not been directly involved in any goal for a month now, which is concerning.
Hopefully, he will get his chance during the international break to rebuild his confidence before his return to London.