Arsenal have suffered a fresh blow to their title hopes with reports claiming that Santi Cazorla might be out of action until the New Year, according to the Mirror.
The Spanish international has been out since limping out Arsenal’s 6-0 victory over Ludogorets in the Champions League in mid of October.
The 31-year-old has been struggling with an Achilles injury since last season and was initially expected to only miss few days.
However the injury has proved to be far more serious and the midfielder has already missed 6 games so far and based on the latest news it seems he won’t be back at least until Christmas.
The reports in the Mirror claim that the Spaniard has visited renowned specialist Dr Ramon Cugat and was given an injection last month in hope that the injury will subside enabling him to return to action in a matter of a week or two.
However, Cazorla still felt the pain when he stepped up his training and was forced to see Cugat again in Spain during the International break and the star will now have to undergo more treatment before returning to action.
The report further states that the North London club have decided to give the midfielder more time to try and fully recover from the injury. There hasn’t been any timeline identified for his return, but Wenger expects the midfield maestro to be available during the festive season.
There hasn’t been any official confirmation from either the club or Wenger, but the French boss is expected to reveal more details on the injury at his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s crucial game against PSG.
This is a huge blow, considering that Arsenal have 7 more games in all competitions before Christmas. Cazorla has always been at the heart of everything the Gunners do, when ever he plays. If you ask any fan on why Wenger’s man couldn’t lift the title last season, the first thing that crosses their mind will be Santi’s absence.
It’s virtually impossible to replace him which is evident from the Gunners last two games where they struggled to create any meaningful attacks on opposition goal. Wenger needs to come up with a contingency plan in midfield until Santi’s back, which might ultimately decide the title fate.
