Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla admits he's feared never playing again due to his injury woes.
Cazorla cannot put a date on a return from his latest setback, but retains hope of taking the field again.
He told El Transistor: "I came to think that I would not play football again at my level, I would leave the operating room, everything would be fine, and I would get injured again."
The Spaniard, who has not played an official match since the 6-0 victory at Ludogorets on October 19, 2016, is going through the ordeal because of bacteria that settled in scar tissue.
"They did not know the problem, but it seems that it has now been solved. The doctors tell me that a case like mine has not been seen for some time. These are unusual things in an athlete."
Cazorla is convinced that he will play football again and does not think about retirement.
"Every day my son asks me if I can play again. He really wants to see me on the pitch and I hope it will be soon."