Injury-ravaged Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla revealed that he almost lost his foot during his lay-off.
The talented 32-year-old has not played for Arsenal since October 2016, but his problems go back further, with the 11 months leading up to that also proving difficult.
Achilles tendonitis has been the problem, with the former Villarreal star suffering from it on two separate occasions, with the second bout still keeping him out of action and nearly costing him his foot due to infection.
And Cazorla has shed light on his injury nightmare in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca.
Cazorla, whose story headlines Marca with an image of his right foot which shows a skin graft, said: "The doctor told me if I was able to walk with my kid on the garden I should be thankful."
It remains to be seen whether Cazorla will ever be able to get back to his very best, but he is said to be targeting a return in January.
