Despite a serious injury earlier in the campaign in which . Rodri . tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, it was thought he would be out for the entire seas

Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is aiming to return earlier than expected from his anterior cruciate ligament injury as Manchester City struggle.

The Spain international has since provided a positive update on his recovery and has revealed that he is refusing to 'give up' in his quest to return before the season draws to a close. "My target is to come back this season," Rodri told Gary Lineker and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast.

Rodri targets a return to Manchester City before the season ends, despite facing a lengthy recovery from his injury.

Rodri also said he did not approve of Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr’s decision to miss last month’s Ballon d’Or ceremony. The Spanish club cancelled their trip to the Paris awards night after it emerged Rodri had won the vote for the individual prize.

Rodri has raised expectations for his injury return as he aims to be back on the pitch for Manchester City before the end of the season.