ARSENAL WILL BE without midfielder Santi Cazorla for another three months after the club decided he should undergo ankle surgery.
The 31-year-old has already missed six weeks of action since suffering the injury in the Champions League match against Ludogorets on October 19.
After the problem did not heal as quickly as Arsenal had hoped, Cazorla will undergo surgery in Sweden next week in a bid to fully resolve the issue.
Arsenal’s timeframe would mean Cazorla will not return to action until the start of March, for the closing stages of the 2016-17 season.
“The club’s medical team and specialists have decided that surgery is required to the plantaris tendon in the Spain international’s right foot,” read Arsenal’s statement on Thursday.
“The problem has not progressed during a rehabilitation programme following the injury.
“We expect Santi’s full recovery to take approximately three months. Everyone at the club will be working hard with Santi to make sure he’s back on the pitch as soon as possible.”
The development comes as a major blow to manager Arsene Wenger, who stressed last week the club were missing Cazorla having won only one of their last five games across all competitions.
Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck are among Arsenal’s other long-term injury absentees.
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Looking forward to Coutinho in this fixture in 2018. Happy Holidays everyone!
@Whatshisname: Can’t wait to see Ozil and Sanchez facing off in the Manchester derby next year. A pity Arsenal won’t get any money for them.
@Whatshisname: The fact you say happy holidays shows the kind of tool you are.
@Let free speech live: lads not even an arsenal fan man. Just a troll. Better off just muting him
@Let free speech live: Back in the schoolyard I see. You’re a joke
@Whatshisname: I’m fond of Arsenal football club myself but you sir are an embarrassment, every time I come on here you are spouting some drivel. Happy xmas anyway, hoping the new year has me reading less of you.
In an “ordinary” club, Zidane’s job should not be under threat when you consider all they have won since he’s been in charge but this is Real Madrid where past achievements are soon forgotten so anything can happen.
@Sloop John G: it’s no ordinary club that’s for sure , the Real Madrid managers head is on the block almost every game . Zidane has credit in the bank but if say Madrid got whipped on Saturday the atmosphere will change . Ancelotti was fire because of a heavy loss to Atletico Madrid at home that he didn’t manage to redress . Under him Real do perform on the crunch days ( especially in finals) and tend to have a much better second half of the season . A win for Real will kick off the resurgence !
Ah jeez Gavan Casey and Ryan Bailey, seriously who’d ye think ye are? The serious heads on ye with the pouts, the fancy hair do’s and the indoor scarf wearing, and the live link up to some nobody in Madrid. It’s like ye’re playing ye’r favourite game; “media goys r us” Scarlet for ye in all fairness.