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The Ecuadorian defender was forced off in the 57th minute of Thursday’s goalless Premier League draw with **Liverpool**, initially appearing to clutch the back of his right leg. From the stands and on television, the concern looked to centre on his hamstring, with **Hincapié** showing visible discomfort as he left the pitch accompanied by the club’s medical staff. He was replaced by **Myles Lewis-Skelly**.
However, subsequent checks have identified the issue as a minor groin injury rather than a hamstring strain. Speaking to the media, **Mikel Arteta** sought to play down the severity, saying: “Piero suffered a small injury in the groin. We have to evaluate how it evolves over the next week, but everything indicates that it will be of short duration.”
The episode underlines a recurring theme in **Hincapié’s** first season in north London. When he arrived from **Bayer Leverkusen** in the summer, he was still managing the after-effects of groin surgery carried out in Germany, a fact confirmed at the time by **Arteta**, who acknowledged the defender was not at full fitness on arrival.
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That same area troubled him again in his first appearance for the club, a late cameo in a 2-0 Champions League win over **Athletic Club**, effectively ruling him out for much of the early part of the campaign.
By mid-October, **Hincapié** had returned to full training and has went on to establish himself as a regular starter, helped in no small part to injuries to other defenders.
In total, the 23-year-old has now missed 11 games through injury this season, a sharp contrast to his previous record, having barely missed any football across his career prior to joining **Arsenal**.
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