Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi, William Saliba and Christos Tzolis are all set to miss Arsenal's Champions League home fixture against Lille
Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi
Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi will both miss Arsenal vs Lille
View 4 Images
Arsenal's current injury list has grown in the past few days following a bizarre double blow on Saturday which saw Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi both pick up ankle problems during the cool down - effectively an on-pitch training session at the Emirates - after the Premier League triumph over Leeds.
Mikel Arteta issued an update on both players on Monday at the Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of the Champions League tie against Lille, confirming both stars will miss the contest.
William Saliba and Christos Tzolis also remain sidelined but in both cases, there is positivity regarding their recovery and optimism they are firmly on the comeback trail.
Here is the latest Arsenal injury news, including possible return dates for all four players.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Piero Hincapie
Hincapie suffered a right ankle injury during Saturday's post-match training session at the Emirates Stadium following the 2-1 win over Leeds.
The Ecuador international came off the bench to play the final minutes of the victory, only to pick up the problem in utterly bizarre circumstances.
Video footage online later showed goalkeeper Illan Meslier carrying Hincapie off the field on his back as he was unable to put any weight on his ankle.
Arteta confirmed on Monday that his left-back would be out of the game against Lille and indicated fears the injury was more serious than team-mate Martin Zubimendi's (also ankle).
Arsenal were carrying out tests yesterday to get clarity on a potential timeline, however, our chief Football Writer John Cross is reporting that Hincapie could be out for up to three weeks.
It must be said, Hincapie is a robust player who has recovered quickly from injuries in the past.
A muscular problem ruled him out of Ecuador's recent international matches and initially, football.london understood he was doubtful to face Leeds.
However, he ended up being back in time to face the Whites and actually returned to training the week before the game, underlining his impressive powers of recovery.
Arteta is likely to provide an update on the former Bayer Leverkusen defender after tonight's match vs Lille.
Possible return date: Early November
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie
Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie injured his ankle after the 2-1 win over Leeds on Saturday(Image: (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images))
View 4 Images
Martin Zubimendi
Incredibly, Zubimendi also sustained an ankle injury in a separate incident to Hincapie during Saturday's post-match training session on the Emirates Stadium pitch.
The Spaniard's issue is thought to be less serious than his team-mate's, according to manager Arteta though the midfielder will not be available to face Lille this evening.
Again, Arsenal were carrying out tests on the injury yesterday. While the club has yet to disclose a potential timeframe for his recovery, our chief Football Writer John Cross has reported he has an outside chance of being available this weekend when the Gunners travel to Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners also travel to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group phase next week, so they will be hopeful that Zubimendi will be available to bolster their ranks.
Possible return date: This Sunday (Nottingham Forest - A)
Martin Zubimendi
Martin Zubimendi injured his ankle in an on-field training session after Arsenal's triumph over Leeds
View 4 Images
William Saliba
There was a promising sight at the Sobha Realty Training Centre yesterday as football.london spotted William Saliba out on the grass doing some ball work with two Arsenal coaches.
The Frenchman is slowly stepping up his rehab work following a troublesome back injury that saw him break down in the World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain in Dallas.
Saliba played through the tournament with the problem which eventually worsened and he's yet to play a game for Arsenal so far this season.
However, his recovery is going to plan and he's now upping his training as Arteta confirmed on Monday, stating: "Now it's over a week, I think, and he'll be managing that load, and how many repetitions and sessions in a row he can do, but he's building now his capacity to good standards, and let's see in the next few weeks we can start to introduce him with the team, and to see where we are to actually make his available."
When asked if he could return after the international break in November, Arteta replied: "I don't know, 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."
Possible return date: November 21 (Newcastle - A)
William Saliba hasn't played for Arsenal this season after aggravating his back problem for France
William Saliba broke down at the World Cup with France(Image: Getty Images)
View 4 Images
Christos Tzolis
Tzolis picked up a hamstring issue in Greece's 2-2 Nations League draw with Holland in Thessaloniki during the international break.
Sources close to the Greek Football Federation told football.london that he would be sidelined for around 15-20 days, though Arsenal still wanted to carry out their own checks on the player once he returned to London.
Article continues below
Arteta later confirmed ahead of the match against Leeds that Tzolis was set to miss a couple of weeks, though it appears he will be able to play for the Gunners before the next international break in November.
He was not present in training yesterday and has been ruled out of tonight's game against Lille, however, he is not a long-term absentee. Possible return date: October 24 (Everton - H)
Thousands of Arsenal fans upgraded their matchday last season. This is how they did it.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
Content Image