{"id":733,"date":"2026-03-30T20:21:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=733"},"modified":"2026-03-30T20:21:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:21:54","slug":"mikel-arteta-dealt-fresh-arsenal-injury-blow-as-another-star-withdraws-from-international-duty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=733","title":{"rendered":"Mikel Arteta dealt fresh Arsenal injury blow as another star withdraws from international duty"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_b2e9b7\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Another Arsenal player has withdrawn from international duty this month.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">13:20, 29 Mar 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 14:00, 29 Mar 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33185541\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Head Coach Mikel Arteta of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at Vitality Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Bournemouth, England\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33185541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_MA.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33185541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_MA.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33185541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_MA.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33185541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_MA.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mikel Arteta has been dealt another blow\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mikel Arteta has been dealt another blow<cite aria-label=\"Image: Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth\/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Photo by Robin Jones &#8211; AFC Bournemouth\/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Piero Hincapie has withdrawn from the Ecuador squad ahead of Tuesday night&#8217;s clash against the Netherlands. The Arsenal defender featured in La Tri&#8217;s draw to Morocco in the Spanish capital on Friday evening, and he was replaced by Pervis Estupi\u00f1\u00e1n in the final quarter of an hour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">According to Fabrizio Romano, Hincapie will return to the United Kingdom, where he&#8217;ll be assessed by medical staff at the Sobha Realty Training Centre. The 24-year-old has joined a long list of players to have been recalled from international duty by the Gunners this month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard, and Jurrien Timber pulled out of their respective national team squads at the start of the week. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka also returned to north London over the weekend as a precaution after, albeit very briefly, showing their faces at St. George&#8217;s Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nevertheless, Hincapie will be unavailable for selection when the Netherlands host Ecuador at the Philips Stadion on Tuesday night. Ecuador will hope to end the international on a high after conceding a late equaliser in the friendly to Morocco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a aria-label=\"Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pageLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFCFootball.London#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">John Yeboah fired La Tri into the lead shortly after the break before Neil El Aynaoui pulled one back in the final minutes. Speaking to reporters after the game, Sebasti\u00e1n Beccacece heaped praise on his side&#8217;s performance at the Metropolitano.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">As quoted by the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fef.ec\/la-tri-mostro-su-clase-ante-marruecos-en-espana\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Ecuador FA<\/a>the head coach said: &#8220;I am very proud of the team&#8217;s work. The boys represent Ecuador. (These matches) serve to know and confirm that it is possible to compete with the powers and on the other hand to know that these details need to be corrected.<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>England&#8217;s 2026 World Cup kits<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33638757.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Untitled-2jpeg.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-price-details__OpMC_\">\n<p>Various Prices<\/p>\n<p>England Official Store<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/england-fa-shop.sjv.io\/c\/344386\/852317\/11901?subId1=Regionals-football.london&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.englandstore.com%2Fen%2Fengland-national-team-football-kits-three-lions%2Ft-25619315%2Bd-9072656104%2Bc-340607%2Bz-9-3856279017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Buy Now on England Official Store<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer&#8217;s FIFA World Cup. You can get free delivery on all orders with the code: <!-- -->ENGFREEDEL<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I think they have seen an intense, aggressive, committed and brave team. It was exciting\u2026 there was a World Cup atmosphere\u2026 what I wanted most was to give a victory to the people for the effort they make to be here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I can&#8217;t ignore the great sporting performance that Ecuador had today, because it would be unfair to the boys. It&#8217;s sometimes hard to accept that a single detail on one night makes all the difference, but we have to keep learning from that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Then, in an interview with Ecuadorian newspaper <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eluniverso.com\/deportes\/futbol\/me-cuesta-aceptar-que-un-detalle-te-amargue-una-gran-noche-se-lamenta-sebastian-beccacece-dt-de-ecuador-nota\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">The Universe<\/a>Beccacece said: &#8220;You don\u2019t see each other for five months, and then you have to see each other in two days and face the quality of players like (Achraf) Hakimi or Brahim (Diaz).<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-25781754\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"25781754\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.21\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Piero Hincapie in action for Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article25781754.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-1445995829.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article25781754.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-1445995829.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article25781754.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-1445995829.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article25781754.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-1445995829.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Piero Hincapie in action for Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022  \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Piero Hincapie in action for Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022  <cite aria-label=\"Image: (Photo by Sebastian Frej\/MB Media\/Getty Images)\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: (Photo by Sebastian Frej\/MB Media\/Getty Images))<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It\u2019s a team that functions excellently. There are always things to improve, but you can see every day how this team is progressing. Progress requires dealing with different situations, as was the case today with the wonderful thing we did for a large part of the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Ecuador boss added: &#8220;I can\u2019t ignore the great collective performance Ecuador had today because it would be unfair to the boys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It\u2019s hard for me to accept that one small detail can spoil a great night, but that\u2019s football. We have to keep learning from that. I\u2019m very proud of how these boys represent Ecuador.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"Factbox_factbox-container__hSMOa\" id=\"factbox\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Entering Factbox content\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"32887284\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"factbox\" data-testid=\"factbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 615px) 615px, (max-width: 810px) 810px, 1168px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1168v\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg\" srcset=\"&#10;        https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/n615\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg 615w,&#10;        https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/n810\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg 810w,&#10;        https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article32887212.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1168v\/0_SEEING-RED-ART-1.jpg 1168w&#10;    \"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs Factbox_heading-three__NXU52 __className_b31408\">Welcome to &#8216;Seeing Red&#8217; &#8211; our new Arsenal podcast<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Factbox_content__xdMV8\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We&#8217;ve launched a new Arsenal podcast &#8216;Seeing Red&#8217; with chief football writer John Cross and Arsenal reporter Tom Canton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Each week, they will dive deep into the biggest topics as they follow Mikel Arteta&#8217;s side every step of the way &#8211; and will also discuss nostalgic flashbacks before each fixture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It&#8217;s a great time to be an Arsenal fan, with the Gunners flying high under Arteta as they look to win silverware this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The North Londoners are going strong in the Premier League and Champions League &#8211; and they&#8217;re also in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">We&#8217;ll provide insight and reaction &#8211; and have fun along the way &#8211; as Arsenal target the biggest trophies this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">No stone will be left unturned. VAR controversy? Poor performances? Unsung hero who deserves praise? Fixture chaos? We&#8217;ll have it all covered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"Click here to view our YouTube channelLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SeeingRedArsenal\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to view our YouTube channel<!-- --><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"Click here to download our podcastsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/pod.link\/1652497071\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to download our podcasts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another Arsenal player has withdrawn from international duty this month. 13:20, 29 Mar 2026Updated 14:00, 29 Mar 2026 Mikel Arteta has been dealt another blow(Image: Photo by Robin Jones &#8211; AFC Bournemouth\/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images) Piero Hincapie has withdrawn from the Ecuador squad ahead of Tuesday night&#8217;s clash against the Netherlands. The Arsenal defender [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}