Piero Hincapie had to be carried off the pitch during Arsenal’s warm-down after their 2-1 win over Leeds on Saturday.
The defender came on as a substitute for the final ten minutes of the match. Along with some of the Gunners’ unused substitutes, Hincapie went through running drills after the game, as is standard procedure at all levels of the sport.
He appeared to pick up an ankle issue during the warm-down, and he had to be helped off the pitch by third-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Assessment ahead of Lille clash
It is too soon to know the severity of the issue. Hincapie will be assessed over the next 48 hours ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League match at home to Lille on Tuesday night.
Hincapie has played only a bit-part role in the early days of Arsenal’s title defence, due to a minor injury which forced him to drop out of Ecuador duty in this international break.
He has started one match so far this campaign - the 2-0 defeat of Napoli in the Champions League - and his substitute appearance against Leeds was his third in the league.
Growing list of absentees
He joins three Arsenal team-mates on the sidelines. Christos Tzolis is the headline absentee after picking up a hamstring injury while representing Greece in the international break, while Cristhian Mosquera is dealing with a similar injury suffered at Aston Villa in August. Another defender, William Saliba, is in recovery from a long-standing back injury.
There was some good news on the fitness front for Arsenal this weekend, as Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa recovered from issues of their own in time to face Leeds.
