Arsenal playmaker, Santi Cazorla, has suffered a fresh setback in a bid to come back from a long-standing Achilles problem.
The 32-year-old has not featured for the Gunners since October 2016 and has now gone under the knife again.
“Due to some discomfort in the tendon that I had been dragging the last few days, I had to go through the operating room again.
“It is time to delay the return date to the playing fields, I maintain the enthusiasm and motivation to return to enjoy my great passion, football,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Cazorla, who was initially expected to return in November, called the 2016/2017 campaign “the worst season of his career.”
In June this year, he underwent his eighth operation since picking up the injury.