A training session after the win

Arsenal beat Leeds 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, 10 October, with Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes securing the three points after the team fell behind early. A post-match training session was then held for players who had not had enough minutes, including those who did not feature or did not play the full 90 minutes. Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, 24, came on after 82 minutes and was carried off the pitch by third-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier, with footage posted on social media showing him clutching his right ankle. Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 27, an unused substitute in the win, was also hurt during the session. Both players were sent for scans.

Arteta's response

Arteta spoke at his pre-match news conference on Monday, 12 October, and said the players were lost in two very unfortunate actions during a session he had planned for those who needed more minutes. He confirmed that both players will miss the home match against Lille on Tuesday, 13 October, and that further scans would set a timeframe for their absence. He said Hincapie's injury looked more serious, and that it was too early to say more until the scans were complete.

“It's far from ideal. They're both going to miss tomorrow's match, that's for sure.”

Asked what could have prevented the injuries, Arteta joked that the pair should simply not have trained, but argued that players who do not train have no rhythm when they are needed. He said that small-sided games involve contact and that such injuries had not happened once in the 37 sessions the club ran the previous season.

“It has never happened in seven years that I have been here.”

Saliba and the wider squad

William Saliba has not played this season after a back injury he suffered for France at the World Cup, and he trained individually at the club's London Colney training base on Monday. Arteta said the Frenchman had been on the grass for over a week and that the focus was on managing his load, with Saliba building up the capacity to complete sessions in a row. Arsenal could introduce him back into the team in the coming weeks. Hincapie has made three Premier League appearances off the bench this season, while Zubimendi has made five from the bench, and Hincapie started the Champions League opener against Napoli in September.

Piero Hincapie3

Martin Zubimendi5

Piero Hincapie

3 appearances

Martin Zubimendi

5 appearances

Data from the article text

What happens next

Arsenal are second in the Premier League, three points behind Manchester City, and host Lille at the Emirates on 13 October without Hincapie and Zubimendi. Arteta said both players would have further scans and that the club would know more about their timeframe as the week went on. Hincapie's injury is the one Arteta described as looking more serious, and the club has not yet given a date for either player's return.