Santi Cazorla training with Alaves

Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has been training with the youth team of La Liga club Alaves in an effort to improve his fitness before the start of the new season.

Cazorla ended his six-year stay at the Emirates Stadium this summer after the club decided against renewing his contract following an injury-plagued spell which has seen him fail to make a single appearance since October 2016.

The 33-year-old has had 11 separate operations on an Achilles problem which almost saw him lose his foot, but he is now understood to be on the road to recovery and on the lookout for a new club.

Cazorla will train with Alaves while visiting his surgeon Mikel Sanchez, while former club Villarreal have also indicated a willingness to allow him to use their training facilities.

"I am grateful to Alaves for the facilities they have offered to me," Cazorla is quoted as saying by the Evening Standard.

"The facilities here are very good and they're even doing work to improve them further. [The youth teams and I] have had a nice experience. I tried to make sure they enjoyed the experience."

Cazorla made 180 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, scoring 29 goals.

Written by
Barney Corkhill