Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed an unusual analogy he used in an attempt to motivate under-fire summer signing Kai Havertz.
Havertz has struggled since moving from Chelsea in a £65 million deal and is without a goal in four games for the Gunners.
Against Manchester United on Sunday, he was disappointing again and failed to connect with one effort after getting into a good shooting position.
After his side's 3-1 win at the Emirates, which was secured thanks to goals in added time from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus, Arteta was asked again about the German's off-colour displays.
The Gunners boss told reporters: "I said to Havertz: 'Things are hard at the beginning. When I met my wife, at the beginning it was hard to conquer her. It was hard, I had to try and message her, and go, and go. And at the end when she says: ‘yes, we can be together…’ it's beautiful'."
Havertz was replaced by Fabio Vieira after 77 minutes at the Emirates on Sunday and it is perhaps no coincidence that Arsenal went on to win the match without the German on the pitch.
The Gunners' win sees them join Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham on 10 points after four fixtures, with all of those teams two behind champions Manchester City in the table.
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Mikel Arteta used another bizarre analogy on Saturday to explain his tactics against Manchester City.
And the Gunners boss has had to defend Havertz already this season, notably after the 2-2 draw against Fulham.
Meanwhile, Brentford striker Ivan Toney has revealed he would be interested in a move to Arsenal in future.
