Arsenal favourite Santi Cazorla may not play until winter after undergoing eighth operation on Monday

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Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla may not return to the field until the winter after revealing he could be on the sidelines for at least five more months after undergoing an eighth operation on Monday.

The 32-year-old playmaker has not played since October, and will likely have missed an entire year of football by the time he returns to the team.

Cazorla called the 2016-17 campaign "the worst season of [his] career," and admitted that he had even considered retirement.

"You feel like throwing in the towel but my desire to play football is above everything," he told Cadena Ser on Tuesday night. "I haven't been given a timeframe [to return to action]. It's very difficult to put a date, but I don't think it will be before five months.

"It's been since October that I last played. I've undergone eight surgeries, the last one yesterday [Monday]. I hope that things go better."

Cazorla added: "I've had complications since November. I got a bacterial infection in surgery, my bone got infected, the wound would not close and I had a graft done.

"I remember I had a bad spell with a back problem [while with Villarreal in 2010] but this is worse because it [healing] doesn't depend on me. Right now I can't think about the future, I just want to return to play."

Arsenal, however, have been incredibly supportive of the veteran and even gave him a contract extension after his deal was supposed to expire this summer.

"They [Arsenal] have been very good to me," he said. "They gave me a contract extension before I had my surgery [in December]. The coach [Arsene Wenger] spoke to me and reassured me."