Mikel Arteta has provided a positive update on Martin Zubimendi following the midfielder’s injury absence against Lille, but Piero Hincapie is set to be out for weeks.
Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie both missed Arsenal’s game against Lille in midweek, but the suggestions ahead of the game were that Hincapie’s injury was the more serious of the two.
Mikel Arteta has since confirmed as much, telling the media Zubimendi is already feeling a lot better.
“Zubi is much, much better,” Arteta said. “Piero is improving, but it looks more significant – I think it will be a matter of weeks, but we don’t know exactly how many. We have to see with Zubi how he deals with the pain on the pitch and the feelings he will face.”
Though they play completely different positions, there is a sense in which the two injury absences are linked.
Without Hincapie to call upon, Arteta only has Riccardo Calafiori as a natural left-back option. As a result, he’s probably going to use Myles Lewis-Skelly in the position, as he did against Lille in midweek.
But if Lewis-Skelly is playing at left-back, Arsenal have fewer options in midfield, at which point Zubimendi’s fitness becomes more important. Again, that was evident in midweek, with not one of Arteta’s midfielders getting the match off.
So whilst it’s a blow that Hincapie is set to miss a few weeks of action, it would have been even worse to lose both players for an extended period at the same time.
If Zubimendi makes a speedy return, Arsenal should be better able to manage without the Ecuador international.
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