Arsenal have picked up some good news during the international break: Piero Hincapie says he is fully fit again after a stop-start opening to the season.
The Ecuador international spoke to reporters at the national team’s base in Quito on Tuesday, and he kept it short. “I feel very well, 100 per cent,” he told Ecuavisa.
For a 24-year-old who has spent much of the autumn dealing with one problem after another, that is a welcome line for Mikel Arteta to read.
Is Piero Hincapie fit again?
Yes, by his own account. Piero Hincapie is with Ecuador for their two games this month and says there is nothing holding him back physically.
That matters because his luck since the summer has been poor. A groin issue ruled him out of Ecuador’s tour of Asia in September, so he missed the first camp under the new head coach.
The freak ankle injury after the Leeds win
Then came the strange one. Hincapie got back to fitness, only to sprain his ankle in a small-sided game on the pitch after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds. Back-up goalkeeper Illan Meslier ended up carrying him off on his back.
Arteta called the incident “far from ideal” and said it had “never happened in the seven years I have been here”. The defender was back in full training in October.
A first Ecuador camp since the World Cup
This is Hincapie’s first time with Ecuador since the World Cup, and his last game for his country did not end well. He was sent off as Mexico won 2-0 in the round of 32 at the Azteca.
He sounded glad to be back. “It’s a real joy, I’ve had a few conversations with the coach, and they’ve gone very well,” he said. “He was a player himself and understands every player.”
“I always say it but it’s a privilege to be here and to be called up by the Ecuadorian national team.”
Centre-back or left-back?
Hincapie is a centre-back by trade but has often been used at left-back by Arsenal. Asked about where he plays, he gave the answer every manager wants to hear: “Yes, obviously, following the coach’s orders, wherever I am, I’ll always give my best.”
Ecuador host Costa Rica in Quito on Friday, then face Bolivia in Guayaquil next Tuesday.
Hincapie needs minutes, and Arsenal will need him
The numbers explain why this break could be useful for him. Hincapie has started only three matches this season, and none of them in the Premier League.
That is a thin return for a player who has drawn attention elsewhere, with Barcelona making contact over the Ecuadorian defender earlier this month. Minutes in Quito and Guayaquil will not change his standing at the Emirates overnight, but they would send him back sharp rather than rusty.
Arsenal have been grinding out results without him, as the late 1-0 win over Hull City showed. The busy weeks after the break are where a fit, versatile defender earns his place, whether that is covering at centre-back or filling in on the left. Two clean games with Ecuador, and Hincapie gives Arteta one more real option rather than a name on the injury list.
