Spain manager Julien Lopetegui believes Santi Cazorla will overcome his injury struggles.

Cazorla has been out since October 2016 with an achilles injury and recently revealed the full extent of the problems he’s experienced.

When asked about the Arsenal midfielder, Spain manager Julien Lopetegui said: “It’s the other football stories, which also exist: hard, dramatic, overcoming,” reports Tribal Football.

“I’m sure it will end with a happy ending, that he will turn around that hard, treacherous injury, and that he will return to put on his boots.”

It was in a recent interview with Marca that Cazorla shared his story. After having surgery on his achilles, the wound refused to heal properly and increased the risk of infection. He ended up having gangrene, which damaged his calcaneus bone and ate away eight centimetres of achilles tendon.

It was this point there were fears his leg would have to be amputated due to a possible blood infection. Fortunately, the infection was treated, and the wound was healed with a skin graft taken from his arm.

The 32-year-old has been going through rehabilitation in Spain ever since and is, remarkably, planning a return in early 2018. It would be some achievement, given that the doctors told him he’d be lucky to walk again.

Cazorla’s contract with Arsenal expires in June, but that would be the least of his concerns. We all hope to see him playing again at some point this this season.