Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi will miss Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture against Lille after suffering injuries during a training session.
Arteta disclosed this while speaking at the Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of the match, according to an update published on Arsenal’s official website on Monday.
The duo reportedly sustained the injuries during a session organised for players who did not get enough playing time in Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Leeds United on Saturday.
The manager said the club would conduct further medical assessments to determine the severity of the injuries and establish how long the players would be unavailable.
Arteta said: “In two very unfortunate actions, we lost two players, and yeah, not great. We need to assess them today. They have further scans to see where they are and they will have that time frame, how long they’re going to be out for.”
The Spaniard confirmed that both players would miss the Lille encounter, adding that Hincapie’s injury appeared more serious than Zubimendi’s.
“They’re both going to miss tomorrow’s match, that’s for sure, and today they’re going to have a further scan and probably tomorrow we’ll know more.
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“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,” Arteta said.
Both players started the Leeds match on the bench, with Hincapie coming on in the 80th minute as Arsenal secured the victory.
Asked whether the injuries could have been avoided by skipping the additional training session, Arteta defended the decision, explaining that players needed to maintain their fitness and match readiness.
He said: “Very easy; don’t train. Never train, and they don’t get injured. That’s why the consequence to that is when they have to play, they have no rhythm, and when you ask them to play, they’re going to have no impact in the game.”
Arteta described the timing of the injuries as unfortunate, noting that contact injuries could occur during small-sided training games.
He added that Arsenal had conducted similar sessions 37 times during the previous season without experiencing the same problem.
Meanwhile, defender William Saliba continues his recovery from injury after returning to individual training on the pitch.
Arteta said the Frenchman had spent more than a week training on the grass as the club carefully managed his workload.
However, the Arsenal manager indicated that Saliba’s return to competitive action was still weeks away, with his progress to be assessed before he could resume training with the team.
“He’s building now his capacity to good standards, and let’s see in the next few weeks if we can start to introduce him to the team to see where we are to actually make him available for the squad,” Arteta said.
The manager added that Saliba could return either before or after the November international break, depending on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation.
Arsenal will face Lille on Tuesday in the Champions League, with the injuries to Hincapie and Zubimendi providing a setback ahead of the European fixture.
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