Arsenal told what to expect from new summer signing as manager verdict speaks volumes

Arsenal new boy Piero Hincapie has been part of an Ecuador side with an enviable World Cup qualifying record - and manager Sebastian Beccacece has spoken glowingly about his back-line. Beccacece's team have qualified for next summer's tournament with time to spare, and their defensive unit has been crucial to that success.

Ecuador have scored just 13 times in their 17 qualifying games, but they've conceded just five goals. Two of those goals came in narrow 1-0 defeats away to Argentina and Brazil - the only games they have lost.

Hincapie, who joined Arsenal on loan from Bayer Leverkusen on transfer deadline day, has been a big part of that success. He has started 13 of his country's 17 qualifiers, including 10 of the last 11, and captained the side to goalless draws away to Uruguay and at home to Brazil.

Speaking with The Athletic, Beccacece singled out Hincapie and a number of his team-mates for praise. Others to thrive include Chelsea holding midfielder Moises Caicedo and Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, who was linked with a Premier League switch this summer himself.

"First of all, we have great defenders, players of a very high calibre in every position," the manager said. "They're aggressive, they're brave, they're good one-on-one, they're fast."

He recognised that Ecuador's forwards act as the team's first line of defence - complementing those at the back. "So we have excellent, courageous defenders and a structure in which everyone helps everyone," he added.

"Then you just have to work on those concepts over time, because every situation teaches us something. You can only really learn it by doing it in games. Theory and training won't get you there."

Ecuador will round off their qualification campaign at home to Argentina on Tuesday night. After that, Hincapie will return to club duty and could make his Arsenal debut against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

He isn't the only member of Mikel Arteta's squad playing in South America during the September break. Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli both played for Brazil in their win against Chile - and they could feature against Bolivia before returning to north London.

Mikel Arteta will have a decision to make on all three before settling on his XI to play Forest. The long flight back will mean limited time to prepare for the lunchtime kick-off.

Forest won't be at full-strength for the game, either. Nico Dominguez is expected to miss out through injury and Oleksandr Zinchenko is ineligible to play against his former club - but former Arsenal youngster Omari Hutchinson could play a part.

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