At one point, there was serious consideration as to whether they should amputate his foot.
It turns out Santi Cazorla's injury lay-off was far more serious than we all thought and the Spaniard has revealed all in shocking detail.
In a remarkable interview with Spanish publication Marca, the Arsenal midfielder has spoken of how he almost lost his foot to gangrene after contracting a dangerous infection.
Cazorla, who hasn't played a competitive game since October last year, had to undergo several operations to fix the achilles tendon injury he sustained during Arsenal's 6-0 win over Ludogorets.
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These operations meant that the 32-year-old lost eight centimetres from the tendon in his right ankle and doctors proceeded to tell the Spaniard that he is lucky to be able to walk in the garden with his son.
As you can see in the image below, Cazorla needed a skin graft from his arm to help fix his left foot as part of his daughter's name is now tattooed on his achilles.
Image: Marca
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Earlier this year, many feared that Santi Cazorla's career may have been over after another injury setback, but it seems the Spaniard will try and return to action in January - a brilliant piece of news for any football fan.
The 32-year-old confirmed that his Arsenal contract was renewed earlier this year and the midfielder spoke of his injury in an interview with Cadena Ser back in May:
"They (Arsenal) were very good to me, they renewed me before my operation, the manager talked to me and gave me peace of mind. It's been a difficult season, since I have not played since November.
"I've been through surgery eight times. 'I had the last one yesterday, and hopefully everything will go well.
"Since November I have had complications. There was bacteria in the operating room and I suffered an infection in a bone. The scar did not close and I had a skin graft." Cazorla said.
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We hope to see the little magician back very soon.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Santi Cazorla, injury, Arsenal