Soccer-Villarreal's Cazorla out for rest of season with injury

MADRID, April 4 (Reuters) - Villarreal's Santi Cazorla has fractured a bone in his right leg after falling awkwardly in the 3-0 Primera Liga defeat by Almeria, the club said on Saturday.

The Spain winger, who will miss the rest of the season, had to be substituted after 65 minutes and was taken to a local hospital where the injury was confirmed.

Further tests will be required on Monday to see if surgery is necessary and that will determine the length of time the midfielder will be out of action.

"It's a bitter blow to morale for the whole team. He is an important player to lose at such a difficult and critical time in the season," Villarreal managing director Jose Manuel Llaneza was quoted as saying on the AS newspaper website (www.as.com).

Cazorla will miss the Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal on Tuesday, the last nine league games, and probably Spain's Confederations Cup campaign in South Africa in June.

(Writing by Mark Elkington, editing by Ken Ferris

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