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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made Piero Hincapie's plan crystal clear after their latest win over Slavia Praha on Tuesday.
Hincapie played 72 minutes as a left-back in the 3-0 Champions League win over Slavia Praha on Tuesday evening, and he looked as solid as ever in his second start for the club.
Originally signed on a loan deal, Hincapie could become a solid option for Arteta at left-back, but he is also talented and versatile enough to play as a central defender, which is his natural position.
Arteta was asked about his performance after the match, and he had good things to say about the Ecuadorian.
Mikel Arteta loves Piero Hincapie's versatility
He said: "He can play in those two positions, as a centre-back or full-back. The way we had to set up and the situation that we imagined with the ball, I wanted him low on that side.
“I think he was really good, really strong, really efficient, and now he has got some minutes in the last week with two games, and the last minutes against Burnley, so we’re getting him up to speed.”
It was important for him to start the game against Slavia Praha. He encountered with an injury as soon as he joined, which limited his minutes and his involvement with his new club, but after two starts in a week, things are looking good for Hincapie.
Also, Arteta did talk about his positioning, and why he was playing as a left-back against the Czech Republic side.
He is a versatile player who moves well, and can stay back and defend for as long as the team needs him to. That was one of the deciding factors as to why the player started on the left.
Riccardo Calafiori also needed some rest, making it clear for Hincapie to step in and not let the quality go down as much.
It is also worth noting that Arteta likes his versatility. The way he spoke about it could mean that he has a lot of minutes in him this season.
Getting him 'up to speed' was clearly important after his injury, and that could be a sign of things to come.
He is not the tallest centre-back or left-back that Arteta has, but he is good enough to play in either position, making him a really good option for when he needs some pace and some great ball-playing from defense.