Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie sent home from Ecuador camp

Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie has been forced to withdraw from international duty after sustaining a knock during a friendly clash with Ecuador against Morocco.

Hincapie has been sent back to London for medical assessments.

The defender was the notable absentee from Ecuadorian national football team preparations for their upcoming friendly against the Netherlands.

Hincapie pulled out of the squad due to a physical issue, with no risks being taken at this stage of the season. The decision for the player to leave the camp was made collectively by the Ecuadorian FA and Arsenal medical staff to ensure the problem does not escalate further.

Piero Hincapie in action during an international friendly match between Morocco and Ecuador. (Photo by Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Ecuador head coach Sebastian Beccacece is also feeling the impact of Hincapie’s departure as he looks to fine-tune his squad ahead of the World Cup.

Besides Hincapie, Ecuadorian FA also revealed that Denil Castillo has been sent home.

Hincapie join the list of Arsenal players sent back home due to injury. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke were sent home from England duty.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba pulled out of the Brazil and France squads respectively.

Arsenal will now wait for the results of the medical tests to determine if Hincapie can feature in their next Premier League outing. The Gunners face Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals next week, and then travel to Sporting in the Champions League.