Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie suffered injury blows this past weekend with Mikel Arteta handed updates on when the Arsenal duo could be back
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie is set for a spell on the sidelines because of an ankle injury
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie is set for a spell on the sidelines because of an ankle injury(Image: (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images))
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Piero Hincapie is reportedly set to miss a few weeks with injury while Martin Zubimendi could be back this weekend. The Arsenal duo both suffered ankle injuries following the Leeds United win with the unused substitutes and those that only played the final knockings completing a post-match session.
Almost immediately following full-time, a clip of Hincapie hobbling emerged and further concern was sparked when he and Zubimendi were absent from open training on Monday.
Arteta then confirmed issues for both during his press conference ahead of the Champions League clash against Lille at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.
He said: "Well, it happened, we had a training session planned after the game for the players, they didn't have enough minutes to get everybody in the corner on Sunday and to get everybody in the right rhythm. And in two very unfortunate actions, we lost two players."
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When asked for return timelines, he added: "They're both going to miss tomorrow's match, that's for sure. Today they're going to have a further scan and probably tomorrow we'll know more, and then we'll see how they're going to go. Piero's one looks a little bit more serious, I think, but we'll have to wait and see."
Those tests will provide clarity and it looks as though that the outcome of those is known with the Mirror's John Cross reporting that Hincapie is expected to miss a few weeks while Zubimendi could return for this Sunday's Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest.
Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal
Martin Zubimendi's ankle injury is less serious
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The former may miss up to six games given Arsenal's busy schedule over October but the hope seems to be that he will be back before the November international break.
William Saliba is more likely to recover from his back issue following that domestic pause but Arteta remained coy on an exact return date given how long he has missed.
The Arsenal boss said: "I don't know [if he will be back after international break], we're still talking about weeks, and when that happens it's very different whether he would play just before, or after that, because it's a very specific injury that he processes."
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Cristhian Mosquera and Ezri Konsa have deputised in his place with the latter overcoming a minor problem that saw him return early from England duty to feature against Leeds United on Saturday.
Kai Havertz was also back from his national team camp earlier than expected after suffering an injury in Germany's first game of the break.
Minor injuries have already plagued Arteta and Co. with Bruno Guimaraes and Ben White absent for periods. Christos Tzolis is the latest to be dealt a fitness blow with the summer signing expected to miss a few weeks, as confirmed by Arteta.