Mikel Arteta walks towards away dressing room at Brighton's Amex Stadium
New Ecuador head coach Marcelo Gallardo has not selected Arsenal star Piero Hincapie for his first squad.
Ecuador take on South Korea in a friendly, as well as Japan and one of Panama or New Zealand in a four-team tournament during the extended international break.
Hincapie sitting on the bench for Arsenal against Chelsea2
Hincapie has struggled for regular game time under Mikel Arteta this season
However, they'll do so without the Gunners defender, which is a boost for Mikel Arteta's men.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man has started just once in all competitions for the 2025/26 Premier League champions, that coming in the 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League.
The 24-year-old missed subsequent wins over Sunderland and Ipswich due to an injury sustained in training after the Napoli victory.
And while Hincapie, whose loan move was made permanent over the summer, returned to the matchday squad for the 3-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, the Ecuadorian was an unused sub at the Amex Stadium.
It does mean that Hincapie has extra time to build up fitness ahead of the game against Leeds next month.
Hincapie, though, is currently suspended for the South American side in competitive matches owing to his dismissal in the round-of-32 defeat to Mexico at the 2026 World Cup.
The player would be eligible for the game against South Korea but Gallardo turned his attention elsewhere as he looks to make a winning start to life as Ecuador boss.
Caicedo also missing
Hincapie isn't the only Premier League star to have been overlooked for Gallardo's first squad.
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Moises Caicedo has also missed out on an international call-up, which will suit Chelsea.
Moises Caicedo of Chelsea points during a warm-up.2
Caicedo has also been overlooked for Ecuador
The midfielder has featured just once since the 2026 World Cup, and that was a 14-minute cameo in the 4-3 over Brighton last month.
Caicedo hasn't made an appearance since he was forced off in the second-half of the seven-goal thriller.
Sunderland pair Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo have both been selected by Caicedo for their Asian tour.
Middlesbrough's Jeremy Sarmiento has also made the cut for La Tri.
Other household names have also been selected by Gallardo, including Paris Saint-Germain's Willian Pacho and former Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan, who now plies his trade at AC Milan.