Piero Hincapie has had a slow start to his Arsenal career so far, but he is finally in contention to feature regularly for the side again.
After completing a loan switch from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, the Ecuadorian international picked up an injury, keeping him out of the side for a while.
With that recovery period now over, Hincapie was handed his full debut against Brighton in the cup in midweek.
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It was an opportunity for Arsenal fans to get a better look at the defender, with anticipation building over his place in the team.
Attention quickly turns towards the Premier League once again, however, with a decision to be made on the backline.
Piero Hincapie shouts during an Arsenal match
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Piero Hincapie must be given his second Arsenal start against Burnley
After an impressive first start for Arsenal, Piero Hincapie showed a glimpse of exactly what he is capable of.
The defender did well to sweep up any dangerous positions presented by Brighton in a game that became transitional very quickly.
A much-changed team provided an opportunity for Hincapie to be at his defensive best, finally giving him some momentum to kickstart his Arsenal career.
Tackles Clearances Ground duels won Aerial duels won
1 4 3 3
Piero Hincapie statistics vs Brighton.
That, plus recent injury concerns for Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, may well bring about some concern for the manager and a desire to rotate.
In a match against a team like Burnley, who will look to keep it tight, the pace and attacking prowess of Hincapie could be preferred anyway to help disrupt a mid-block defence.
At a time when momentum is key before the international break, the obvious answers seem to point towards continuing that run of form with the new recruit.
Piero Hincapie looks on during an Arsenal match
Photo by Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images
Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie partnership could blossom
Plenty is said about the partnership between William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, with the Arsenal duo seen as two of the best defenders in world football.
As a result, it’s been tough to see how the Gunners could replicate that when the pair are missing; however, they seem to have the answer.
Recent impressive performances from Cristhian Mosquera have pointed towards him being a bargain signing from the summer.
Now, with Hincapie able to play on the left side next to him, there could be a second partnership just as strong as the first.
On the duo, Arteta said after the win over Brighton: “I think those two are going to complement each other really, really well. I’m very happy with what I’ve seen.
“Again, they’ve never played together, I think they’ve trained two or three times together, and that will keep improving. But I’m very happy.”
With the sheer amount of games facing Arsenal, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that Mosquera and Hincapie partnership rolled out once again.