Arsenal defender doubtful for Brighton trip after suffering muscle injury | OneFootball

Arsenal’s impressive start to the season has been accompanied by another defensive injury concern, with Piero Hincapie missing Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich Town because of a muscle problem. The Gunners continued their winning run with a 4-2 victory at Portman Road, where Max Dowman stole the headlines with two goals.

Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino were also on the scoresheet, but Hincapie’s absence added to Mikel Arteta’s growing list of defensive problems.

Hincapie suffered muscle injury before Ipswich slash

Piero Hincapie of Arsenal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

According to football.london journalist Tom Canton, Hincapie picked up a muscular injury ahead of the Ipswich game despite having trained earlier in the week.

His absence forced Arteta into another reshuffle at the back.

The Ecuador international only completed a permanent move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer after spending last season on loan at Arsenal.

Hincapie has managed only 30 Premier League minutes so far this season, with Riccardo Calafiori currently Arteta’s preferred option at left-back. However, he had started both the Community Shield and Arsenal’s Champions League victory over Napoli, making him an important rotation option.

His latest setback comes at an awkward time because Arsenal are already dealing with several defensive fitness issues.

Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and William Saliba were among those unavailable for the Ipswich match, while Jurrien Timber was also not involved as Arsenal continued to manage his return.

Defensive depth is being tested at Arsenal

Piero Hincapie of Arsenal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Hincapie may not currently be a guaranteed starter, but this is still an injury Arsenal could do without.

His versatility is particularly valuable because he can operate at both centre-back and left-back. When fixtures begin arriving every few days, players with that flexibility become extremely important.

Arsenal have already shown they possess impressive depth, with youngster Marli Salmon starting against Ipswich as Arteta made nine changes from the team that beat Sunderland.

However, repeatedly losing defenders can quickly turn depth into vulnerability.

The encouraging part is that there is no indication yet that Hincapie’s problem is serious. Arsenal should therefore resist any temptation to rush him back for Brighton if there is a risk of aggravating the injury.