Kai Havertz is breaking records in German football, plenty of them, and the midfield star added two more goals to his historic tally on Monday night in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-1 victory over Werder Bremen.
The 20-year-old became the youngest player to make 100 Bundesliga appearances in December after also setting the record for 50 games.
And now he has 34 goals to his name after already becoming the youngest player in Bundesliga history to reach the 30-goal mark.
It is this goalscoring quality that sets Havertz apart from the other talented attacking midfielders in European football. He is the quintessential number 10, and could be the ideal driving force for Manchester City.
The pundits are in no doubt about his quality. Raphael Honigstein, the German football journalist and author, declared: “He will be the most important player for the German national team in the next decade if he stays healthy.”
And former Manchester United and England star Owen Hargreaves told BT Sport: “He’s a really special player in the number 10 position. He’s so creative and elegant, can score goals and makes the game look easy. I love watching him play.”
Havertz has a wonderful knack with his movement off the ball.
His two goals against Bremen were both headers. He drifted to the far post to nod home Moussa Diaby’s cross to open the scoring, before then bursting clear of the defence from an inswinging freekick to flick a header home for his second.
Both goals showed his understanding of space, his movement off the ball and his knack for scoring goals from midfield.
They also illustrate the completeness of his game. He can score off both feet, from headers, poach close-range goals and also hammer home long-range scorchers. His all-around ability spurred Leverkusen captain Lars Bender to say he had never seen such a complete player.
Havertz’s importance to Leverkusen is remarkable, especially for a player of his age. But as his team-mates recognise, he is integral to their play.
“He's got great composure and technique, and his decision-making is usually spot on,” said Leverkusen striker Kevin Volland.
“I've seen him come right through into the first-team since I joined the club and his development has been incredible. He's quickly become especially important to us.”
In Pep Guardiola’s City team, Havertz could be the ideal foil to Kevin de Bruyne in central midfield. The two are hugely comparable - superb distributors, technically skilled, dynamic with or without the ball, and both have an eye for goal in the final third.
De Bruyne, though, has played in a deeper midfield position before, and the City boss has hinted at this possibility in the future.
“I want to see Kevin with a lot of touches with the ball,” Guardiola said after de Bruyne played deeper against Burton Albion in January 2019.
“He’s a player who needs to be in contact with the ball, and playing in that (deeper) position you normally get more touches of the ball than when you play in front.”
Havertz is a goal-orientated midfielder who will break into the penalty area and play further up the pitch.
De Bruyne has played that role, especially early in Guardiola’s time at the Etihad, but as he moves through his prime years, dropping into a less physically demanding deeper midfield role could suit the Belgian.
And complimenting him with the dynamic, direct Havertz could be ideal, especially with David Silva departing in the summer.
Phil Foden has been heralded as the Silva replacement, but if Guardiola is keen to add goals to his central midfield, then Havertz certainly provides a more elite option than the Englishman.
“What he brings to the pitch in terms of play-making, technique and mentality is tremendous,” said Havertz’s former Leverkusen team-mate Julian Brandt. “He’s so talented that he has the right stuff to become a world star.”
