Cazorla out for at least six weeks

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Santi Cazorla will be out for at least six weeks after a second operation on his Achilles injury.

Cazorla was expected to be sidelined until March following surgery last month to repair his damaged Achilles tendon, but suffered a setback in his recovery and underwent a second procedure this week.

Wenger hopes the former Malaga playmaker, who has not started a Premier League match since October, will return to training within a month, but confirmed the 32-year-old will not return to first-team action for at least six weeks.

"Santi is far from starting to run again. He had a little procedure and we have a meeting with the medical people today [Friday] to see what it really was," Wenger said.

"Certainly he will not be available in the next six weeks, that is for sure.

"Will he play again this season? I hope so because once you start to go outside, you have to count six weeks' preparation.

"At the moment he is not at that level.

'Let's hope he can come back in the next three or four weeks on the pitch."

Wenger also says Mesut Ozil's Arsenal future is not dependent on his own situation at the Emirates Stadium.

The German World Cup winner, who has 18 months remaining on his contract, is seeking a new deal worth at least £200,000 per week but says he wants to know the long-term future of manager Arsene Wenger before committing.

Wenger, whose current contract ends this June, says there are factors in play as well.

"He would like to know what happens on the managerial front of course, but I don't think that's the main part of his decision," he said.

"There are many ingredients in all negotiations."

Photo: ©Getty Images/Matthew Lewis

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