Arsenal have suffered a number of international withdrawals ahead of a crucial period of the season, giving manager Mikel Arteta plenty to reflect on.
Piero Hincapie has been sent back to Arsenal from Ecuador (Image: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Piero Hincapie has become the latest Arsenal player to announce his retirement from international football. Hincapie featured in Ecuador’s 1-1 draw with Morocco in Madrid on Friday night, but has now been sent back to Arsenal and will not feature in Tuesday’s second friendly against the Netherlands.
“The Ecuadorian Football Federation has reported that Piero Hincapie and Denil Castillo have undergone medical and imaging tests, and based on the results, both have been removed from the national team,” the statement said.
“The results will be immediately sent to their clubs, where they will begin their respective recovery processes. They will be monitored by the national team’s medical staff.”
The defender has been a mainstay for Mikel Arteta in recent months, making 31 appearances this season after joining on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. He is the first-choice left-back ahead of Riccardo Calafioli and Miles Lewis-Skelly, and Arteta will be desperate to use him in future games.
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The Gunners face Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals next weekend before heading to Portugal for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting Lisbon on April 7.
Arsenal then return their attention to the Premier League when they face Bournemouth on April 11. They lead Manchester City by nine points with seven games remaining, one of which will be against City at the Etihad Stadium on April 19th.
Remarkably, Hincapie becomes the ninth Arsenal player to decline international duty. England announced on Saturday night that they had released Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka to Arsenal following Friday night’s match against Uruguay.
Piero Hincapie represented Ecuador in a friendly against Morocco on Friday (Image: Dennis Agyeman/Getty Images)
Maduke started at Wembley but picked up an injury, while Rice and Saka sat out Tuesday’s friendly against Japan. However, manager Thomas Tuchel ended up letting all three players go.
They skipped international duty during the current break, along with Ebelesi Eze, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Julian Timber and Martin Odegaard. Eze has been out for about a month with a calf injury, while other players have missed friendlies for fitness reasons.
Arsenal’s next 5 games
Southampton (A) – FA Cup – Saturday 4th April (20:00)
Sporting Lisbon (A) – Champions League – Tuesday 7th April (20:00)
Bournemouth (H) – Premier League – Saturday 11 April (12:30)
Sporting Lisbon (H) – Champions League – Wednesday, April 15 (20:00)
Manchester City (A) – Premier League – Sunday 19 April (16:30)
Odegaard has been out for a month with a knee injury and is expected to return within the next few weeks. Trossard (Belgium), Gabriel (Brazil), Saliba (France) and Timber (Netherlands) were excluded from the national team following contact with Arsenal.
All have played key roles in Arsenal’s season, and there are concerns about burnout as they prepare for the World Cup after the 2025-26 season. The tournament begins June 11th in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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