Arsenal fear midfielder Santi Cazorla could miss most of next season due to long-term achilles injury
- Arsenal's Santi Cazorla has told Spanish radio he hopes to be fit by October
- However, the club worry the midfielder could miss the majority of next season
- There were fears the injury and procedures to fix it could end Cazorla’s career
Arsenal fear Santi Cazorla could miss the majority of next season as a result of the long-standing achilles injury that wrecked his 2016-17 campaign.
Although the midfielder told a Spanish radio station he hopes to be back by October, there are concerns at the club that his spell on the sidelines will be much longer.
The Gunners have not put a timescale on the injury given the unpredictability of the recovery process.
Arsenal fear Santi Cazorla could miss the majority of next season with an achilles injury
Indeed, Sportsmail can reveal there were initial fears that the injury, and subsequent procedures to fix it, would end Cazorla’s career.
That possibility could still come to fruition if his current rehabilitation programme does not go according to plan, but there remains hope the Spaniard will play again.
Cazorla has spent long periods in Spain, making regular visits to world-renowned orthopaedist Dr Ramon Cugat in a bid to get fit.
But the achilles has not healed as expected. And even if Cazorla does play again next season, he will have to be nursed through the campaign.
The Spaniard celebrates with his team-mates following last week's FA Cup victory at Wembley
‘You feel like throwing in the towel but my desire to play football is above everything,’ he told Spanish radio station Cadena SER.
‘I haven’t been given a timeframe. It’s difficult to put a date, but I don’t think it will be before five months.
Meanwhie, Lucas Perez’s agent has told Arsenal that the player wishes to leave the club after becoming frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities.
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