UK Edition
Santi Cazorla provides injury recovery update after being left out of Arsenal's Premier League squad
Santi Cazorla says he is "training hard and pushing harder" as he continues his battle to recover from an injury that has kept him out since October 2016.
The Spaniard has not played first team football for over 10 months after suffering an Achilles injury in Arsenal's Champions League win over Ludogorets at the start of last season.
Now the midfielder has provided a fresh update on his rehabilitation on the same day he was left out of Arsenal's 25-man squad for the first half of the Premier League season.
Cazorla, who has had eight operation of his ankle since the original injury, has shared a new video of himself in training as he bids to prove his fitness.
Cazorla admitted he has considered 'throwing the towel in' following a series of setbacks since his original injury in October 2016.
"I don't know how long it will take, but I'm convinced that I'll be back soon," Cazorla told a Spanish radio station in July.
"Each time I leave the operating theatre, I think that everything will be fine and I'll be back again.
"The doctors have told me that a case like mine is one that they probably won't see again for a long time as it is unusual for an athlete.
"I have no strength in my leg. I am just two weeks out of surgery. I have no muscle mass in my calf, no strength in the tendon, we are still working on getting my Achilles to function again.
"Every day my son asks me if I will play again because he really wants to see me out on the pitch again and I really hope that it will happen soon."
Cazorla has originally planned to return to action in October it's unlikely the 32-year-old will play a role for Arsenal' until the second half of the season.