Arsenal suffer new injury blow straight after Leeds win as substitute 'carried off'

Arsenal were reportedly dealt a new injury blow immediately after their 2-1 win over Leeds United in the Premier League, as Piero Hincapie hurt his ankle in the warm-down.

The reigning champions returned to triumphant ways at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, as Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes cancelled out James Justin's opener.

Mikel Arteta was blessed with a few injury boosts ahead of kickoff, as Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, Ben White and Max Dowman were all declared fit following issues on international duty.

Arsenal also appeared to come through the game itself unscathed, all five substitutions being tactical, including Hincapie's introduction for Calafiori in the 82nd minute.

However, the Gunners have now been handed another untimely concern, as BBC Sport journalist Sami Mokbel claims that Hincapie had to be carried off following the warm-down.

The Ecuador international took part in post-game drills alongside his fellow substitutes, but he was supposedly seen clutching his right ankle following an unexplained incident.

How long could Piero Hincapie be out for with ankle injury?

HandofArsenal adds that Hincapie will be monitored in the coming days, but his problem has only been described as a "knock" at this early stage.

However, if the former Bayer Leverkusen man has suffered an ankle sprain, even a Grade 1 injury could rule him out for a couple of weeks, meaning he may miss matches against Lille, Nottingham Forest, Bayern Munich and Everton.

A Grade 2 ankle sprain would rule Hincapie out for between three and six weeks, while a Grade 3 injury - or complete tear - could see the versatile defender miss the rest of 2026.

The 24-year-old is yet to make a Premier League start for Arsenal this season, but he did play the full 90 in their 1-0 win over Napoli in their opening Champions League league-phase game.

How can Arsenal replace injured Piero Hincapie?

Calafiori's form and fitness has forced Hincapie to accept a second-string role thus far in the 2026-27 campaign, and there are no signs of the Italian losing his place in the XI anytime soon.

However, any period of absence for Hincapie would deprive Arteta of a ready-made backup for Calafiori, meaning that Myles Lewis-Skelly may have to revert to left-back duties after finding success in midfield recently.

Jurrien Timber is another alternative at left-back for Arsenal, though; the 25-year-old has made 14 appearances for the Gunners on that side since joining from Ajax in 2023.

For now, Hincapie joins Christos Tzolis (hamstring) and William Saliba (back) on the Arsenal sidelines as the Gunners prepare to host Lille in Tuesday's Champions League showdown.