Manchester City midfielder Rodri hopes to return to action before the end of the season.

Rodri ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in September, an injury boss Pep Guardiola said would keep him out for the rest of the season.

City have failed to win any of their past six games in all competitions in Rodri’s absence, and the Spain international hopes to help his team-mates before the season is over.

“My target is to come back this season. I don’t give up on this season, [but] I don’t want to make any mistakes. My target is six or seven months,” Rodri told The Rest Is Football podcast.

“I am doing much better than I thought. I am enjoying the rest, if it possible to say it that way.

“My feeling was, not like a crack, the knee was stable. I was confident it wasn’t too bad. But I have a positive mentality now and that’s it.

“The first month and a half was bad in terms of pain, I couldn’t walk, but now it is easier.”

The Premier League season finishes on 25 May, eight days after the FA Cup final on 17 May.

The domestic campaign is followed by the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, held in the United States, which features City and runs from 15 June until the final on 13 July.

In the space of a few months, Rodri went from the high of winning Euro 2024 with Spain, to the low of sustaining a serious injury and then winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

“I have lived the best and worst part of my career with the Ballon d’Or and then injury, but it gives me oxygen to come back again in a good way,” he said.

“I can’t describe the emotion [of winning it]. In my generation [we] only see two guys winning the trophy [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo].”

Rodri’s triumph was overshadowed by Real Madrid’s decision to boycott the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, a decision widely thought to have been taken because of Vinicius Jr’s failure to win the top prize.

“I cannot respect the decision,” Rodri said of Madrid’s no-show.

“In sport and in life, it’s important to win. But I think even more how to lose, and I say always the same – it was my moment, I didn’t want to speak about others.

“They didn’t want to be there – I want to be with my club, with my family, the people that were there and clapped me, and that was a fantastic moment.”

Guardiola may be experiencing the worst spell of his managerial career, but 28-year-old Rodri is delighted the City boss recently signed a two-year contract extension.

“I used to stay behind training most of the time with the manager, talking, because I wanted information,” Rodri said.

“As the years go, you don’t need that so much, but first year was a massive change for me.

“Pep has the desire to be better every day. He has won the lot, he doesn’t need to do this. He has this hunger to go again, which is why I am so excited he has decided to stay.

“He grabs you in his room and tells you tactics, he is always there with sessions. He demands from you and if someone doesn’t push you every day, you don’t grow.

“He is an unbelievable worker. Of course he is the best. The titles talk by themselves but also Spain, Germany and England – he has been influential everywhere.”