Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla will not grace the pitch again this season due to his troublesome ankle injury, according to The Mirror.

It has been a miserable few months for the Spaniard, who aggravated the problem when he suffered a knock to his achilles in October.

Since then, the midfielder has had a handful of operations, including a skin graft taken from his arm but doctors have struggled to find the root of the problem.

The Mirror claims that specialists are now hopeful that the issue has been identified, but Cazorla is not expected to return to full fitness until the start of next season in August.

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The newspaper adds that the midfielder is in a positive mood despite suffering plenty of setbacks on the road to recovery.

The news comes as a big blow to Arsenal, who face a battle to finish in the top four this season due to just four points separating second from sixth.

Arsene Wenger's side are expected to drop out of the Champions League next month after they were recently thumped 5-1 by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Barring a miracle comeback, the Gunners' best hope of silverware this season is winning the FA Cup.

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