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'Every day my son asks me if I will play again' - Santi Cazorla opens up on his Arsenal injury hell
Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has opened up on his ongoing battle to overcome a chronic heel injury that has seen him sidelined since October 2016..
The Spaniard has undergone eight separate surgeries on his right Achilles tendon since breaking down through injury during Arsenal's 6-0 win over Ludogorets.
The 32-year-old has previously admitted that he has considered retiring from football but has vowed to make his return to football 'soon'.
"I don't know how long it will take, but I'm convinced that I'll be back soon," Cazorla told Spanish radio station, Onda Cero.
"Each time I leave the operating theatre, I think that everything will be fine and I'll be back again.
"The doctors have told me that a case like mine is one that they probably won't see again for a long time as it is unusual for an athlete.
"I have no strength in my leg. I am just two weeks out of surgery. I have no muscle mass in my calf, no strength in the tendon, we are still working on getting my Achilles to function again.
"Every day my son asks me if I will play again because he really wants to see me out on the pitch again and I really hope that it will happen soon."
Despite his ongoing absence through injury, Cazorla was handed a one-year contract extension at the turn of the year and was at Wembley to celebrate Arsenal’s record 13th FA Cup triumph on Saturday.
"That has been my salvation after everything that has happened," he said. "That I don't have to worry about where I might be going after a recovery like this one and I am grateful.
"I will be back. Not sure when but I am confident that I will be able to return at my previous level.
“Arsenal have been very good to me. They gave me a contract extension before I had my surgery. The coach spoke to me and reassured me,” said Cazorla earlier this summer.
Many Arsenal fans pointed to the absence of Cazorla as a key factor in the poor run of form which ended the club’s Premier League and Champions League hopes last season.
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