Santi Cazorla will not play again this season, with the Spaniard failing to recover from an injury sustained last October.
The Spanish midfielder has been a long-term absence as Arsenal have struggled this year, but had been expected to return in the early part of 2017.
But on Thursday Arsene Wenger confirmed ‘the season is over for him’.
Santi Cazorla has not played since October, when he was injured against Ludogorets
The injury first occurred in Arsenal’s Champions League match against Ludogorets, with manager Arsene Wenger optimistic Cazorla would miss no more than a couple of matches.
The Spaniard took a kick to his right ankle during that game, aggravating a existing Achilles problem in the process.
Arsenal at first tried to treat the injury without surgery, but Cazorla eventually had an operation in December, at which point he was expected to return this month.
However, further set-backs mean the diminutive Spaniard will not be able to play again before May, with Wenger confirming there is no chance of a return this season.
Cazorla has been an instrumental part of Arsenal’s play when fit, but this injury is the second time in two years he has missed large chunks of the season.
Last year he was a crucial player for the Gunners until late November, at which point injury ruled him out for the majority of the campaign, with Cazorla returning only for the final fixture of the season.
