Laurent Koscielny considers his Achilles surgery to have been a success, with the Arsenal defender starting a six-month “fight” to recover full fitness.
The France international picked up an unfortunate injury during a recent Europa League semi-final outing against Atletico Madrid.
With that ailment forcing him under the knife, the 32-year-old has seen his 2017-18 campaign brought to a close and his World Cup dreams dashed.
Koscielny is, however, trying to remain positive as he prepares to begin a long period of rehabilitation.
He has taken to social media to announce that his operation went well, with Arsenal having wasted little time in getting their experienced centre-half the medical assistance he needs.
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Koscielny posted on Instagram: “I would like to thank you for all the messages received further to my injury.
“The operation went well, it's a new step that begins for me.
“I'm determined to fight not only for myself but also for my family, my friends and all the people who support me ... See you soon lolo.”
Outgoing Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger announced prior to Koscielny’s update that he is not expecting a fellow Frenchman to be back in action before the end of the calendar year.
He said: "He is devastated because he has surgery that means six months out. You will not see him again before December certainly."
While Koscielny will not play for Wenger again, he does still have a future at Arsenal.
He remains under contract until 2020 and will come back into contention under a new manager in 2018-19.
The Gunners have yet to announce who that will be, but Goal revealed on Tuesday that Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri and former midfielder Mikel Arteta, who is currently a coach at Premier League champions Manchester City, are now the leading contenders for the role.
