Piero Hincapié has explained why he was left out of Ecuador’s latest squad, with the Arsenal defender confirming the reason during a live broadcast in his home country.
Piero Hincapié has confirmed that an injury is the reason he was left out of Ecuador’s squad for their Asian tour, explaining his absence during a live broadcast in his home country.
Hincapié explained that he was not fit enough to be available for Ecuador during this extended international window, in which Marcelo Gallardo’s side has already lost 2-0 to South Korea on Thursday.
They are due to play Japan on 1st October.
Unfortunately, he did not give any specifics on the injury or indicate how long he expects to be out for.
For Arsenal, the concern is that the defender is again dealing with a fitness problem after issues last season.
Hincapié missed Arsenal’s League Cup tie against Ipswich Town on 15th September with a reported muscular problem, but returned to the bench for the Premier League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion four days later.
He has played 152 minutes across four appearances this season but has started only once, in the 1-0 win away to Napoli in the Champions League.
Since joining Arsenal at the beginning of last season, Hincapié has missed 16 matches for club and country through injury.
Groin problems account for 12 of those absences, while the others are listed only as muscular issues, with no further public detail.
Arsenal will hope the latest problem is minor, particularly given the other defensive injuries they are struggling with.
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