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'It's never happened in seven years' - Arteta on Hincapie and Zubimendi injuries

Alex Howell

BBC Sport Arsenal reporter at Arsenal's training ground

Mikel Arteta has given more clarity about how Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi got injured after Arsenal's win against Leeds on Saturday.

The Gunners had planned for the players who did not play a full game or had not had minutes in the 2-1 win to train at the Emirates Stadium so that all of the squad could have a recovery day on Sunday, to get them ready to train on Monday.

Arteta, who says it was done to get "everybody in the best rhythm" revealed that both players have picked up ankle injuries with Hincapie's more serious than Zubimendi's but both players have further scans planned.

The Arsenal manager called the incident "far from ideal" but it's something that has "never happened in the seven years I have been here" and said that his Arsenal side trained that way "37 times" last season.

Arteta regularly arranges for the players who have not played a full match to take part in a small sided game on the pitch and this is how Hincapie and Zubimendi picked up the injuries.

The manager does this so that all of the players have a similar output and when they are navigating their busy fixture schedule.

Substitute goalkeeper Illan Meslier was seen to be carrying Hincapie off the pitch on his back even though there were staff members present.

And this is something that Arteta does not seem to be happy about, saying: "that's something else, not to discuss here".

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