Man City's Rodri returns to training after serious knee injury

Rodri has returned to training as the Manchester City midfielder steps up his recovery from the ruptured knee ligament he suffered in September.

The Ballon d'Or winner could be seen taking part in an individual session at the club's Etihad Campus in a video released by City on Friday evening.

Rodri, 28, ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in City's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on September 22 and his absence has been cited as a key factor in Pep Guardiola's side having fallen 20 points behind Liverpool in the title race while also exiting the Champions League.

It was expected Rodri would miss the rest of the season, but the Spain international has set his sights on returning in time for the Club World Cup, which kicks off in the United States on June 14.

Guardiola has been reluctant to put a timetable on when Rodri might play again.

Speaking at the start of the month, the City boss said: "The most important thing for him is to recover well, he is not a teenager but he still has years to play and it's going to happen if he recovers well."