Arteta loses two players to freak cool-down injuries ahead of Champions League clash

Arsenal suffered a double injury blow in the most unlikely of circumstances when Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi were both hurt during a post-match cool-down session following the Gunners’ 2-1 Premier League victory over Leeds on Saturday.

Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed the setbacks on Monday, describing them as something that had “never happened in seven years” at the club. “We had a training session planned for after the game for players that did not have enough minutes, and in two very unfortunate actions we lost two players,” he said. “Not great.”

Hincapie was photographed being carried off the pitch, visibly clutching his right ankle, while Zubimendi also picked up an unspecified problem. Both players were absent from Monday morning training ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League encounter with Lille at the Emirates on Tuesday.

Arteta said the club needed further scans before a clearer picture of the players’ availability would emerge. “We need to assess them today and have further scans to see where they are, then we will have a timeframe on how long they are going to be out for,” he added. “It’s far from ideal.”

When pressed on what preventative measures could be taken, Arteta was blunt. “Very easy, you don’t train. If they never train then they don’t get injured, but the consequence to that is when they are needed to play they have no rhythm and when you ask them to play they are going to have no impact in the game. What can you do? If I had a crystal ball I would just say ‘guys, get in the Jacuzzi and I will see you tomorrow’.”

The injuries compound an already stretched squad situation at the Emirates, with Arsenal having only just returned to Premier League action after the extended international break. Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes scored to seal the win over Leeds despite the Gunners falling behind early.

There was, however, more encouraging news regarding William Saliba. The France international has been sidelined with a back injury sustained during the summer’s World Cup but has now been back in training for over a week. Arteta indicated the club is carefully managing his workload. “It is about managing that load and how many repetitions and sessions in a row that he can do,” he said, adding that a return to the squad was still “weeks” away and remained uncertain beyond the immediate fixture schedule.