Arsenal have been hit with a raft of withdrawals from international duty ahead of a crucial period in their season, with manager Mikel Arteta given a lot to ponder
Piero Hincapie of Ecuador
Piero Hincapie has been sent back to Arsenal by Ecuador (Image: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
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Piero Hincapie has become the latest Arsenal player to withdraw from international duty. Hincapie played in Ecuador's 1-1 draw against Morocco in Madrid on Friday night, but has now been sent back to Arsenal and won't feature in a second friendly against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
A statement read: "The Ecuadorian Football Federation reports that players Piero Hincapié and Denil Castillo underwent medical and imaging tests and, based on the evaluation, both have been withdrawn from the national team roster.
"The results were immediately sent to their clubs, where they will begin their respective recovery processes. The national team's medical staff will monitor their progress."
The defender has become a key player for Mikel Arteta in recent months and has played 31 times this season since joining on an initial loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. He has become the first-choice at left-back, ahead of Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Arteta will be desperate to have him available for the upcoming run of games.
The Gunners face Southampton in the quarter finals of the FA Cup next weekend before travelling to Portugal for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon on April 7.
Arsenal will then turn their attention back to the Premier League by playing Bournemouth on April 11. They have a nine-point lead over Manchester City with seven games left to play, one of which comes against City at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
Remarkably, Hincapie is the ninth Arsenal player to withdraw from international duty. England announced on Saturday night that Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka had been released back to Arsenal following the 1-1 draw with Uruguay on Friday night.
Piero Hincapie of Ecuador plays
Piero Hincapie played for Ecuador in a friendly against Morocco on Friday(Image: Dennis Agyeman/Getty Images)
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Madueke started at Wembley and picked up an injury, while Rice and Saka sat out of the game with a view to playing on Tuesday in another friendly against Japan. However, Thomas Tuchel ended up releasing all three.
They joined Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard in skipping international duty in the current break. While Eze is out for around a month with a calf injury, the others have missed friendlies for fitness reasons.
Odegaard has been out for a month with a knee injury and is expected to make a return in the coming weeks. Trossard (Belgium), Gabriel (Brazil), Saliba (France) and Timber (Netherlands) were all excused from their national teams after communications with Arsenal.
All have played key roles in Arsenal's season and there is a concern about burnout, with the World Cup following the 2025/26 season. The tournament begins in the United States, Mexico and Canada on June 11.
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