101 touches, 75 passes, 6/6 duels won: £45m Arsenal star dazzles with top-class display on Int'l duty
Arsenal’s new signing Piero Hincapie produced a solid defensive performance during Ecuador’s goalless draw against Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier last night.
The 23-year-old signed for the Gunners on loan from Bayer Leverkusen on deadline day. The club have an obligation to buy him for £45 million next summer, as per the German outfit.
Hincapie will meet his new teammates after the international break, but he showed a glimpse of his defensive qualities during the 0-0 stalemate against Paraguay on the road yesterday.
The Ecuadorian primarily played as a left centre-back, but also positioned himself as a right-back at times.
Hincapie had 101 touches in the game with 75 accurate passes. He won 100 percent of his ground and aerial duels (6/6) and also made four recoveries, two interceptions and two tackles.
The former Bundesliga winner produced a quality showing over 90 minutes. It remains to be seen how manager Mikel Arteta utilises him during the course of his debut campaign.
Hincapie played on the left side of the back three under manager Xabi Alonso last season. There have been claims that Arteta could revert to a three-man central defence with his arrival.
Aside from his regular centre-back role, Hincapie is comfortable at left-back. He is a strong duel winner like Riccardo Calafiori and does not shy away from making overlapping runs.
Arteta could see him as a competitor to Calafiori at left-back. There is a possibility that he could be paired up alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in central defence due to William Saliba’s ankle injury.
With Hincapie’s arrival, Myles Lewis-Skelly could also receive more minutes in central midfield, which is his best position, despite his remarkable success as an inverted left-back at the club.
Stats from Fotmob.com
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