Arteta confirms Hincapie's injury 'looks a little bit more serious' than Zubimendi's

Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal will be without both Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi for Tuesday night's Champions League trip to Lille after the pair picked up ankle injuries during a post-match cool down session following Saturday's win over Leeds.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta confirmed the incident occurred during a planned training session for players who hadn't accumulated enough minutes against Leeds. Footage circulating online showed Hincapie being carried off on the back of substitute goalkeeper Illan Meslier, with medical staff and coaches gathered around him.

“In two very unfortunate actions, we lost two players,” Arteta said, explaining that the squad had a training session planned straight after the game to get rhythm into those who hadn't featured enough.

No firm timeline yet

Both players will undergo further scans, with Arteta unable to give a concrete return date for either man. Asked directly about the severity, he was clear that Hincapie's issue appears the more worrying of the two.

“Piero's one looks a little bit more serious, I think, but we'll have to wait and see,” Arteta said. He confirmed both injuries are to the ankle, and that the scans taken on Monday will shape the club's understanding of how long each player faces on the sidelines.

Pressed on whether the club might reconsider post-match cool down sessions given the freak nature of the injuries, Arteta defended the approach, pointing out such sessions were carried out 37 times last season without a single issue. “This can happen,” he said, adding that the alternative, not training players who need minutes, would leave them short of match sharpness when called upon.

He also declined to discuss the images of Hincapie being carried from the pitch in detail, saying only: “That's something else not to discuss here.”

Saliba's recovery continues

Arteta also provided an update on William Saliba, who has now been back on the grass for over a week as he builds toward full training involvement. “He'll be managing that load, and how many repetitions and sessions in a row he can do, but he's building now his capacity to good standards,” Arteta explained, adding it remains unclear whether the defender's return will come before or after the November international break given the specific nature of his injury.

Despite the fresh fitness concerns, Arteta struck a largely positive tone about his side's recent form, praising the manner in which Arsenal turned the game around against Leeds and describing Lille, managed by Davide Ancelotti, as a well coached side that have caused problems for bigger opponents.

Further clarity on both Hincapie and Zubimendi is expected once scan results come back, with Arsenal facing a busy run of fixtures in the weeks ahead. As reported by football.london, both players are already ruled out of the Lille match, with their broader availability to be assessed in the coming days.