I'm almost back to my best after the nightmare of injuries – Santi Cazorla

Villarreal midfielder, Santi Cazorla, believes that he has almost recovered his "best" after an injury.

The 34-year-old left Arsenal in May of last year, having not played for the Gunners since October 2016 after a series of Achilles surgeries, one of which had preceded an infection that exposed him to foot amputation.

He joined Villarreal for the third time after leaving Emirates Stadium and has played 35 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring six goals.

Cazorla described his return to the first team as a "difficult course", but he now feels he has managed to put his nightmare behind an injury.

"I worked very hard to find my best form," he told Omnisport. "Recovering my best form has always been my only target, otherwise I would have retired.

"You never know how you feel until you're back in very competitive games, and game after game, I'm back in better shape." I played more in more minutes until I forget about my injury and my improved pitch performance.

"Today, I'm really close to my best.I still have room for improvement, but I did not think I could have come back to that level a year ago." .

"Now, I appreciate a lot more every thing." I enjoy every workout and every time I get in the coach to get to the stadium, I remember the hard times that I have lived and the difficult course that played football. "

Villarreal lies at the heart of a relegation battle and has only one point and four points more than Celta Vigo, 18th, which they visited on Saturday.

The article continues below

Cazorla admits that they have underperformed this season, but feels that there remains a chance to finish the season on a positive note, especially since there is a quarter-final of the Europa League against neighboring Valencia, on the horizon.

"The season has been difficult," he added. "The expectations were very high and the team was built to fight for a place in Europe next season, and instead we are fighting to avoid relegation.

"We have improved and it looks like we have the right attitude, but there are still a lot of games to play and we are not yet safe, and on the other hand we are doing well in the Europa League, where is less pressure and we play a lot better. "