Santi Cazorla might miss the remaining of the season after suffering another devastating injury setback. The Arsenal midfielder was expecting to be back in action this month after undergoing a knee surgery but his recovery has now been delayed further due to an Achilles problem.
Cazorla has already stopped any kind of physical training, which is obviously a massive blow for the title contenders Gunners as the veteran Spaniard remains a hugely influential player in the squad.
It now seems likely he will be out of the London club’s all matches this season.
That comes on the back of Jack Wilshere taking longer than an expected return date to first team action following a pre-season leg fracture, while another midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might be sidelined for up to 8 weeks with a knee injury.
Cazorla, who has been missed sorely after he ruptured the lateral collateral ligament in his knee against Norwich on 29 November, last week revealed he was “working better every day” and he had also targeted the Champions League last 16 second-leg against Barcelona on 16th March for his much awaited comeback. But Wenger interestingly painted a bleaker picture and somehow dodged the question of whether Cazorla was now looking at a return date in April: “Santi is not doing too well. He has some Achilles problems that hold him (back). His knee is doing well but his Achilles has inflamed a little bit and we have to put him off impact.
“It is a reaction to him coming back. We have to see now how he responds. He had always a little tendonitis on his Achilles and we have to see how he responds to that.”
Wilshere has not kicked a ball this season and, like Cazorla and Chamberlain, now faces a race to be fit to play for England in the European Championship this summer.
Wenger further said: “Jack is doing quite well but has still not been outside yet. Running, I think, starts again this week.
“It will be three to four weeks (from there). I can understand you worry for the England team. I worry as well. I’m a supporter of England.
“Alex will be out for six for eight weeks. No surgery. We feared surgery at some stage before we saw the MRI.
“In the end we got, on that front, positive news. The next eight weeks means March and April.
“He should be okay for the Euros [which kick off on June 10].”