Cazorla targeting 2019 return after tenth ankle op

Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla hopes to play football again “maybe next year.”

Cazorla has been sidelined since October 2016 after suffering an ankle injury in a Champions League group-stage clash with Ludogorets.

The Spaniard opened up on his struggles in an interview last November, saying that he came close to having his foot amputated.

Arsene Wenger described the injury as “the worst I’ve ever known,” and Cazorla now says he is targeting a 2019 return after undergoing a tenth surgery.

“There have been moments when I’ve thought about throwing in the towel. I’ve thought things like ‘maybe it is not worth continuing’.

“‘If things go well, maybe next year I can play at the top level again.

“The last surgery was seven weeks ago, and my tenth in total. The first surgery was risky because I took many corticosteroids and the skin deteriorated.

“Then a skin graft was proposed and after that, the infection ate my tendon.”