Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has described the injuries suffered by Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi during a training session following the Gunners’ 2-1 Premier League victory over Leeds as “far from ideal”.
The session took place after Saturday’s game at Emirates Stadium and involved players who had either not appeared or had not completed the full match against Leeds.
Ecuadorian defender Hincapie was carried from the field by goalkeeper Illan Meslier, while Arteta subsequently revealed that Spanish midfielder Zubimendi had also sustained an injury.
Hincapie, 24, entered the match in the 82nd minute to help Arsenal secure the win, whereas 27-year-old Zubimendi remained on the bench.
Speaking before Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Lille, Arteta explained that the post-match workout had been arranged for players who needed more playing time, but two separate incidents resulted in injuries.
He said both players would undergo additional scans to determine the severity of their injuries and establish how long they could be unavailable.
Asked how the injuries might have been avoided, Arteta jokingly suggested that the only solution would have been for the pair not to train.
The Spanish coach added that avoiding training may reduce the chance of injury, but it would also leave players short of match sharpness and unable to make the desired impact when selected.
Arteta said he had not experienced such a situation during his seven years at the club, noting that the same injuries could just as easily have occurred in the following day’s session.
He expressed hope that a similar incident would not happen again while acknowledging that little could have been done to anticipate it.
Arteta joked that, had he been able to predict the future, he would have sent the players to recover in the jacuzzi and asked them to return the next day.
Hincapie has appeared three times as a substitute in the Premier League this season and was in the starting lineup for Arsenal’s Champions League victory over Napoli last month.
Zubimendi has similarly spent much of the campaign in a reserve role, coming off the bench in five Premier League matches.
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