Santi Cazorla makes football return after two years out injured as he plays for Villarreal against Hercules

Santi Cazorla finally made his return to action after two years on the sidelines as Villarreal took on Hercules in a friendly on Tuesday evening.

The Spaniard swapped Arsenal for the Yellow Submarine this summer having been released by the Gunners after a nightmare run of injuries.

Cazorla, 33, is in his third spell with Villarreal as he bids to rejuvenate his career.

The midfielder suffered an Achilles injury in October 2016 that has since required eight operations and has kept him out of action.

There had been hopes Cazorla could return for Arsenal before the end of last season, but the injury took a turn for the worse and he would not make another appearance before being released.

Cazorla took to Instagram to post a picture of himself in action.

He captioned: “Very happy to get back to do what I like most.

“There is a lot of work ahead for me but it is the first step, eternally grateful to the people for the care, it has been worth it to get here, THANK YOU.”

Cazorla will step up his recovery in the coming weeks ahead of the La Liga season.

Villarreal face Marseille, Montpellier, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves before the big kick-off.