At A Glance:
- Arsenal face Southampton in the FA Cup next.
- Mikel Arteta’s men are piling up a hefty injury list.
- Piero Hincapie is the latest name to withdraw from international duty.
Ahead of their FA Cup tie on away soil at Southampton, Mikel Arteta and his staff are facing a pile of injury issues and Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Piero Hincapie has withdrawn from international duty.
Having established himself as an important part of Arteta’s side since his arrival in the summer, the 24-year-old has played 33 times this term.
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Not only is Hincapie returning to N5 from international duty but Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice – two key players for the north Londoners – have withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad this March.
Hincapie returns to Arsenal camp from international duty
Reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to report that Hincapie – who is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen this season – has returned to London.
“Following medical tests, Piero Hincapie leaves Ecuador camp and returns to London with immediate effect. Arsenal defender will be assessed by AFC staff this upcoming week.”
With the fixtures coming thick and fast for the Gunners, no risks are being taken at this stage and the decision to withdraw appears to be precautionary – rather than something that could be long-term.
Ecuador are now set to be without one of their key defenders for the international hiatus.
The left-back recently played 90 minutes of his nation’s 1-1 draw with Morocco – but he will not be available for their upcoming tie with the Netherlands.
A seasoned professional, 24-year-old Piero Hincapie has already made 51 caps for the Ecuadorian national team and that has resulted in the 2002-born defender scoring three goals.
Hincapie injury could aid Myles Lewis-Skelly
Talking of silver linings, though, Piero Hincapie’s injury could leave the door open for Myles Lewis-Skelly to prove himself on the left-hand side of Arteta’s back four.
Lewis-Skelly – who Ian Wright believes could have made a difference in their Carabao Cup final loss – has been reduced to very few minutes this term.
But if the Ecuador international is really sidelined for an extended period of time, the Englishman will need to take his chance with both hands.
Riccardo Calafiori will no doubt be Arteta’s first-choice at left-back, though, and the Italian will replace Hincapie seamlessly.
Moving forward, though, it’s not clear where Hincapie is in the left-back pecking order. His deal will be made permanent in the summer, though, thanks to how impressive he’s been.
