Piero Hincapie remains an injury doubt for Arsenal’s Premier League game against Brighton on Saturday.
Hincapie has deputised in the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes and started alongside William Saliba in Arsenal’s 1-0 win away to Everton last Saturday.
However, the 23-year-old was not in Arsenal’s matchday squad for their victory on penalties against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Speaking after Arsenal’s win against Palace at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta said: ‘[Gabriel] Martinelli is more of a knock and he wasn’t comfortable to carry on after the second half.
‘With Piero, yeah, something different because he picked up an injury against Everton.’
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Meanwhile, Kai Havertz returned to full training this week following a knee injury which has kept him out since Arsenal’s 1-0 win against Manchester United in August.
‘I think it will be a matter of days, if not weeks,’ Arteta said when asked about Havertz’s return.
‘Let’s see in the next step how he responds to that. He’s a player that we missed a lot, a player that brings the team into a different dimension. So, I’m really happy to have him back very soon.’
Meanwhile, Gabriel is also closing in on a return from the groin injury he suffered while on international duty with Brazil in November.
‘We’ll have to wait and see,’ Arteta said when asked if Gabriel could return against Brighton.
‘He hasn’t trained yet, he’s still doing his rehab. But hopefully as quickly as possible because we know the situation that we have in the back line.’
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