Arsenal and Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla believes he should be ready to resume first team duties next year.
It is a long road back for Cazorla, with the talented midfielder suffering a series of issues with his ankle. It all stemmed from an operation that was not managed correctly, which resulted in complications that are still being repaired.
He has not appeared for Arsenal since October 2016, and many fans are starting to believe he may never feature for the first team again.
However, Cazorla is determined to be back in the first team picture by 2019, after the completion of his 10th operation on the ankle region.
He said: "There have been moments when I've thought about throwing in the towel. I've thought things like 'maybe it is not worth continuing'.
"If things go well, maybe next year I can play at the top level again."
