Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has disclosed that Santi Cazorla is ‘starting from zero’ in his attempts to save his career. The Spanish midfielder who will be out of contract at the end of the season underwent a ninth surgery on the Achilles injury which has kept him out since October 2016. The 32-year-old was initially set to make a comeback in January but his football career is now in serious jeopardy following his latest setback.
In an interview with the Evening Standard on Wednesday, Wenger shared a sad update and said: ‘I sent him a message because he had a new surgery and wished him well.’
‘He answered ‘look I have to start again, from zero basically’ and it is very sad, honestly. What he has gone through this guy is unbelievable. We speak about players being happy or not happy, that is a real pain because it is really, really sad but unfortunately he has to start again from zero.’
‘That means if all goes well he has to wait until he can run and after when he starts to run it will be at least six weeks to come back to training. When he will be able to run again I don’t know.’
‘I was hopeful of January but after, he had this setback that everybody knows about.’
The Spanish midfielder made his name playing for Villarreal CF in La Liga where he made 241 appearances scoring 34 goals and making 35 assists. He was soon gathering attention from some of the elite clubs of Europe. Cazorla joined the Gunners in the summer of 2012 from Malaga and has gone on to make 180 appearances for the North Londoners since then.
The playmaker excelled under Arsene Wenger which saw him hit 29 goals for the club. However, his real brilliance was his ability to make plays for his team-mates and it showed in his time with the Gunners as he made an eye-catching 45 assists that resulted in him winning the FA Cup twice under Wenger.
Cazorla’s last appearance for the Gunners came back in 2016 in a Champions League fixture against Ludogorets Razgrad. He suffered an injury to his right Achilles tendon and has since been out of action. His recent injury concerns come as a real blow to Arsenal as they fight to secure a top-four spot this season.
Moreover, his Arsenal career might be coming to an end with his current contract expiring at the end of the season. It remains to be seen how he recovers and whether Arsenal offers to extend his contract. For now, everyone at the club can only hope and pray for his speedy recovery.
