Arsenal handed boost as defender left out of national team squad due to injury
Arsenal are not back in action for three weeks following the 3-0 defeat at Brighton
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie has been omitted from Marcelo Gallardo's first Ecuador squad meaning the 24-year-old will be handed the chance to rest during the international break.
That's good news for the Gunners as Hincapie has recently been battling a muscular issue. He was an unused substitute on Saturday as the Premier League champions were brutally thrashed 3-0 at rampant Brighton.
Prior to that, Hincapie was left out of the Arsenal squad that won 4-2 in the Carabao Cup third round at Ipswich Town due to his fitness problem.
He has only played 152 minutes of action so far this term across all competitions as Riccardo Calafiori has reinstated himself as Mikel Arteta's first-choice left-back.
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During the extended three-week break, Hincapie can now focus on getting his body back up to speed because it's understood he is not currently at 100 per cent.
Ecuador are also playing friendlies in Asia against both South Korea and Japan plus one of New Zealand or Panama.
Given it's a packed schedule, that's something that might benefit Hincapie further down the line.
Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo is also absent from La Tri's squad as his season has been disrupted by injury.
Caicedo has managed just 14 minutes for the Blues this term (in the 4-3 home win over Brighton) due to a knock and a calf problem.
Piero Hincapie will not be playing for Ecuador during the international break
Xabi Alonso recently stated he regrets rushing Caicedo back from his initial problem as it's now proved damaging.
It's currently unclear when he will be ready to return for Chelsea but the extra three weeks of rest and potentially, training, should stand him in good stead.
New Ecuador boss Gallardo made it clear at his formal unveiling last week that several key players would not be selected due to recent fitness problems.
Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, who saw a transfer to Crystal Palace collapse this summer, is also unavailable due to the same foot injury that derailed his move to Selhurst Park.
All three players were key in helping Ecuador reach the World Cup Round of 32 in the summer where they were eventually defeated 2-0 by Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.
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