£34.5m Arsenal defender left out of international duty after groin strain
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie was left out of Ecuador’s squad for the international friendlies due to a physical issue, according to El Comercio.
The 24-year-old joined the Gunners permanently for £34.5 million last summer following a successful season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen.
Hincapie came on as a substitute at left-back in three of the first four games this season, and also started the Champions League encounter at Napoli.
However, he has not featured for the Gunners since. Hincapie was left out of the squad for the Carabao Cup third-round win (4-2) over Ipswich Town on the road.
The versatile defender was back in the mix for the Premier League trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, but was left as an unused substitute by the manager.
El Comercio now report that Hincapie is not 100 per cent fit after suffering a groin strain, but he is in the process of regaining match fitness.
The 24-year-old was therefore excluded from Ecuador’s squad for upcoming friendlies.
Hincapie has perfect opportunity to regain match fitness
The Gunners went into the international break on a sour note after a humbling 3-0 league defeat at the hands of Brighton away from home.
Riccardo Calafiori started at left-back for the fifth straight league match this season, and the Italian star played through the entire 90 minutes.
The former Bologna man had a tough game on the South Coast, but manager Mikel Arteta resisted the prospect of replacing him with Hincapie.
This was probably because Hincapie was not fully fit after his groin strain. Arteta was handling him with caution with the international break close by.
Hincapie has now been left out of the Ecuador squad for the three-week international break, and he has the perfect chance to regain match sharpness.
The ex-Leverkusen man was a regular starter ahead of Calafiori at left-back earlier this year, and should get more playing time going forward with the hectic workload.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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