Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla took to Twitter to let Arsenal fans know hesuccessfully went through knee surgery on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old required the surgery following achilles tendon damage, picked up in October. The Spaniard is expected to be out for another three months following the procedure.
The playmaker's last appearance was in Arsenal's 6-0 demolition of Ludogorets in the Champions League on October 19th.
Surgery done! Looking forward to be with you at #emiratesstadium @Arsenal @pumafootball #countdown pic.twitter.com/YKqci5VdBn
Cazorla was fundamental in Arsenal's opening fixtures this season andhadcemented his place in the starting 11, providing two goals and three assists in 11 games.
The 31-year-old's absence has seen manager Arsene Wenger rotating his holding midfield positions, with the Frenchman still unsure which pairing works best.
Aaron Ramsey, Mohammed Elneny, Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin have all had stints in the first team -however, none of them have managed to make the position their own.
Arsenal have missed Santi Cazorla's "technical stability," admits Arsene Wenger.https://t.co/uG6deIEDpt pic.twitter.com/KKUd0m9mnX
It is predicted that Cazorla will be back for Champions League fixtures in mid-February, in a return sure to please most Arsenal fans.
The Gunners currently sit in second place in the Premier League and have progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Their game against Stoke on Saturday signals the start of a busy festive period for the North Londoners and Cazorla's return will help Wenger's squad rotation throughout the busy spell.
Wenger has openedcontract negotiationswiththe Spanish international, while the positivenews regarding the surgery proves an extra boost before the weekend's fixture.