Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that midfielder Santi Cazorla could spend another 10 weeks on the sidelines after he underwent a second procedure on his right foot.
Cazorla has not played since October 19 and initially underwent surgery in early December after failing to recover from an inflamed tendon in his right heel.
He was scheduled to return in three months, but that timeline has now been pushed pack after he had a second operation on Friday. As a result, Wenger confirmed that the 32-year-old is "far from starting to run again."
"He had a little procedure, yes, but we have a meeting today with the medical people to see what it was," Wenger added.
But, Wenger pointed out that he doesn’t expect Cazorla to miss the entire season and hopes that the Spaniard will be able to make his comeback in April.
"Yeah, I hope so," Wenger said. "Because once you start to go out [running outside] you have to count six weeks' preparation. At the moment he's not at that level, so let's hope he can come back in the next three or four weeks on the pitch."
