Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists Santi Cazorla's latest injury setback won't affect his chances to get a new Arsenal contract for next season, although those talks won't begin until January.
Cazorla is expected to be sidelined for three months as he will undergo surgery on his right foot next week, having already been out since mid-October. It's the second year in a row that the Spanish midfielder misses a large chunk of the season, having been out five months with a knee and heel problem in the previous campaign.
Cazorla, who will turn 32 this month, is out of contract in the summer but Arsenal have an option to extend it for another year.
However, Wenger said talks with the player about using that option have not even started yet.
"I would like to speak about that with Santi Cazorla before I speak with the press. I haven't spoken to him. That decision will be made in January," Wenger said ahead of Saturday's trip to West Ham in the Premier League.
And when asked if it would depend on Cazorla's fitness, Wenger said: "No, on my decision only."
Wenger faced a similar situation with Tomas Rosicky two years ago, when he used an option to extend the injury-prone midfielder's contract by another year. Rosicky then missed nearly all of last season with injuries before leaving the club in the summer. But Wenger said he was willing to take the same chance again.
"That's a risk when you take an option. But Santi is an exceptional football player," Wenger said, adding that the Spaniard's experience is also an asset to the team.
"The dressing room needs a balance between experience and youth team players. And you need to be guided as well by some experienced players when you go through difficult times. They help you always to keep your feet on the ground and keep focused."
Cazorla opted for surgery after struggling to recover from an inflamed tendon in his heel, hoping to get rid of the problem for good.
In his absence, Arsenal have struggled to find an effective central midfield duo, using Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny.
Wenger acknowledged that "I'm still trying" to find the best combination between the four, but indicated that Xhaka is ready to take on a larger role from now on.
"I think we are close to a balance because I think Xhaka is moving upwards. And he has a different influence to Santi," Wenger said.
"Santi is more a guy who gets out of very tight situations. He has a very short technique, with his right and left foot. Xhaka is not a dribbler, he is more a guy who has a pass through the lines."
But he added that picking the right duo for his two central midfield spots also depends on his front four, as attack-minded players like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott may need more defensive midfielders behind them.
"You have to balance that as well with Ozil," he said.
"Sometimes I play Iwobi or [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain [on the flank], so the combination has to be thought of in four, or in five even. When I consider that Walcott and Sanchez are really strikers, in their mind and in the way they play, so around them you have to build a team that is balanced."