Santi Cazorla ends 636-day injury nightmare to play for Villarreal LaLiga - Villarreal Appeared in friendly with Hercules

Sixty-seven minutes into a pre-season friendly between Villarreal and Hercules on Tuesday night, Santi Cazorla was able to get back into playing action after a horrendous injury lay-off.

At the Yellow Submarine's training ground Mini Estadi, the midfielder received a standing ovation when stepping onto the field of the 1-1 draw.

Not since October 19, 2016 had Cazorla enjoyed a game of professional football when appearing for Arsenal in a Champions League encounter with Ludogorets.

Now that this hurdle has been overcome, Villarreal fans and Cazorla alike can look forward to tracking his progress for the rest of his trial during pre-season.

Coach Javi Calleja expressed his happiness at the prospect of signing the 33-year-old if all goes well in the coming weeks and such a moment would mark a happy ending to a 636-day nightmare for all involved.