Following the unfortunate news that Santi Cazorla has undergone a ninth surgery on his ankle, Arsene Wenger admits that the midfielder’s injury is ‘sad’ and ‘disastrous’.
Cazorla recently underwent another procedure on his ankle following complications, which stemmed from one operation on his troublesome Achilles a year ago. As a result, it’s not looking likely that the little midfield maestro will ever return to action for Arsenal and Wenger says this latest set-back is ‘disastrous’.
“That [operation] is for me, the disastrous, sad news of the day. I feel really sorry for Santi,” said Wenger. “He is a guy I admire, that we all love here, who came into training every day with a smile because he loved so much the game.
“For him not to be available for us, it is a big blow. But for him, as well, it is something that is difficult to take and I hope despite what happened … I don’t know exactly well. I have been informed medically but I have not read any report.”
Honestly? This is probably it for Santi. While he and the boss have to remain positive, his age (32) combined with the numerous surgeries and complications focused on one area are going to make it almost impossible for him to recover. While the Spaniard has the best medical care at his disposal, he’s still only human.
Debido a unas molestias en el tendón que llevaba arrastrando los ultimos dias, he tenido que volver a pasar por el quirofano. Toca retrasar la fecha de vuelta a los terrenos de juego, mantengo la ilusión y motivación para volver a disfrutar de mi gran pasión, el futbol.#football pic.twitter.com/HpYYRd9VyQ
— Santi Cazorla (@19SCazorla) November 29, 2017
As devastated as us as fans are feeling, we have to remember that whatever Santi is experiencing right now is so much worse. All we can do is send him our well-wishes and hope he sees them.
The midfield maestro was one of the most exciting Arsenal players to wear the shirt for years when he joined from Malaga in 2012 and was tipped to develop into one of the greats. It’s a shame he’ll never get to fulfill his true potential.