He marks the ninth withdrawal among Arsenal’s athletes.
Piero Hincapie, an Arsenal fullback, has emerged as the most recent member of the Gunners’ squad to step down from international responsibilities, departing the Ecuador training camp ahead of schedule subsequent to medical evaluations.
On Friday, Hincapie participated for 72 minutes with La Tri in a 1-1 draw against Morocco during an exhibition match held in Madrid.
However, a declaration issued on Sunday by the Ecuadorian Football Federation verified that Hincapie was permitted to return and rejoin Arsenal, a club slated to confront Southampton in the FA Cup’s quarter-final stage this Saturday.
“The Ecuadorian Football Federation announces that athletes Piero Hincapie and Denil Castillo submitted to diagnostic and scanning examinations and, consequently, after assessment, both have been removed from the squad list for the national side,” the declaration stated.
“The findings were promptly dispatched to their clubs, where they will commence their individual recuperation routines. The national team’s healthcare personnel will track their advancement.”
Hincapie Adds to Extensive Roster of Arsenal Departures
Ecuador is set to compete against the Netherlands on Tuesday in their last exhibition match before the teams for the 2026 World Cup are announced in May.
However, Hincapie will not participate in that fixture, as he instead marks the ninth instance of an Arsenal player pulling out of national team commitments amidst this recess.
The English pair, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, were expected to join the Three Lions prior to their match against Japan, having been given a break by Thomas Tuchel for Friday’s 1-1 tie against Uruguay. Instead, both withdrew, while their colleague Noni Madueke sustained a knee ailment during that encounter.
Eberechi Eze pulled out of the England team due to a calf problem, concurrently, Leandro Trossard of Belgium, Gabriel Magalhaes, a Brazilian back, William Saliba of France, and Jurrien Timber from the Netherlands all recused themselves from national team service owing to physical condition concerns.
Among the nine athletes, six commenced last week’s EFL Cup final loss against Manchester City and seemed not to sustain any harm in the 2-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal’s resumption of play next weekend initiates a packed schedule ahead for Mikel Arteta’s squad as they vie across three competitions, concurrently maintaining a nine-point advantage against City in the contention for the Premier League championship.
Arsenal Upcoming Matches
- Southampton (A, FA Cup) – April 4
- Sporting CP (A, Champions League) – April 7
- Bournemouth (H) – April 11
- Sporting CP (H) – April 15
- Manchester City (A) – April 19
- Newcastle United (H) – April 25
- Fulham (H) – May 2
- West Ham (A) – May 9
- Burnley (H) – May 17
- Crystal Palace (A) – May 24
The FA Cup semi-finals are set to occur on April 25/26, and the championship match is slated for May 16.
The Champions League semi-final initial matches are planned for April 28/29, with the subsequent matches on May 5/6. The championship game is scheduled for May 30 in Budapest.