Santi Cazorla to undertake pre-season in Spain

Santi Cazorla will spend pre-season with former club Villarreal in a bid to regain full fitness following his Achilles operation, the La Liga outfit have announced.

The 33-year-old former Spain international is a free agent after leaving Arsenal at the end of last season.

Cazorla came up through the youth ranks at Villarreal and made 241 first-team appearances for the club before moving to Malaga in 2011, and then onto the Gunners a year later.

A Villarreal statement read: “Santi Cazorla returns home.

“The Asturian player will take part in pre-season with the Villarreal first team (July 9) with the objective of recovering from an Achilles tendon operation in his right leg, which he had last November 28.”

Cazorla made 129 appearances for Arsenal in six seasons, scoring 25 goals, but he failed to make an appearance last term and only played eight times the season before, due to injuries.