Arsene Wenger has finally admitted Santi Cazorla will not return in January after revealing when he midfielder is "starting at zero" following his latest Achilles surgery.
The 32-year-old underwent a ninth separate operation last week on a hugely troublesome injury which has sidelined him since October 2016.
Wenger addressed the media on Thursday last week having not spoken directly to Cazorla following his latest procedure but insisted he could still be on schedule for his original comeback date early in the New Year.
However, Wenger said ahead of Arsenal's final Europa League group game against BATE Borisov tonight: "I sent him a message because he had a new surgery and wished him well.
"He answered 'look I have to start again, from zero basically' and it is very sad, honestly. What he has gone through this guy is unbelievable. We speak about players being happy or not happy, that is a real pain because it is really, really sad but unfortunately he has to start again from zero.
"That means if all goes well he has to wait until he can run and after when he starts to run it will be at least six weeks to come back to training. When he will be able to run again I don't know.
"I was hopeful of January but after, he had this setback that everybody knows about."
Asked if Cazorla would ever play again, Wenger replied: "I hope so but certainly now not before February."
Meanwhile, Wenger has hit back at claims from France assistant coach Guy Stephan that Olivier Giroud may have to leave in order to retain his international place.
Giroud is yet to start a Premier League game for Arsenal this season and Stephan suggested "now he must play more" adding that a loan deal in January could be a viable option.
However, when it was put to Wenger that Stephan urged Giroud to leave, the Gunners boss replied: "He didn’t say that exactly. You have always a certain way to translate the French into English that does not necessarily reflect the nuances of the subtle French language.
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"When they met for the last international break, Giroud has played more minutes than [Alexandre] Lacazette. So his statement was not absolutely right. Why did he say that? At least it is not backed by the numbers. If he maybe wants to say that he should play more in the Premier League, there he has a case. But competition is competition.
"They have to make their decisions, I have to make mine. I cannot consider too much the interest of the national team, even if I support France. I can only play with 11 players and the players have to deal with that and so do I. Overall I try to give them competition, which is what they have had until now. But these are discussions I have had with the players. It’s part of it."
Wenger also revealed Arsenal were yet to open contract talks with Theo Walcott but insisted he wants the 28-year-old to stay at Emirates Stadium.
"First of all, the player has to be happy to come to the table and analyse his situation," he said. "I haven't started [talks] yet.
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"Of course he is frustrated but he is focused, I tell you. He doesn't give up at all and is more determined than ever.
"I want to keep the squad. We qualified now for the Europa League [last 32] and that means we do not want to reduce the squad. We have the League Cup still. The FA Cup is still to come, the Europa League is to come, we have the Premier League, where we have a big fight to be in the top four. You do not want to become weaker."