Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta (Photo by Carl Recine, Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Piero Hincapie joins Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Noni Madueke as another Arsenal player to withdraw from international duty as a fitness concern for the Gunners.
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Mikel Arteta’s side have been plagued by injuries for much of the season, with big names such as Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz missing large parts of the season.
Meanwhile, other key players such as Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafioli are suffering from injuries, while Ebelesi Eze missed the Carabao Cup final due to injury and may not be able to return immediately.
James Benge said Hincapie had withdrawn from the Ecuador squad after “medical tests” showed he was suffering from unexplained symptoms.
Arsenal fans will be hoping this is not too serious and that both club and country are being cautious at this late stage of the season, with so many big games coming up between now and May, as well as the World Cup in the summer.
Arsenal injuries – what we know so far
Arsenal, who want to remain top of the Premier League, cannot afford to lose so many players at once, and it certainly seems far from ideal that Madueke had to be sent off in England’s game against Uruguay.
According to the Evening Standard, Maduke’s injury appears to be a more serious concern than the likes of Rice and Saka.
They report that Rice and Saka’s absence from the England match was more of a precautionary measure, with both players expected to return either in the upcoming FA Cup game against Southampton or in the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon a few days later.
There is similar optimism for William Saliba, who was withdrawn from the France squad, but it is less clear how serious Gabriel’s latest setback is, having been ruled out of the Brazil squad.
