Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez has said that the prospect of facing former club Burnley in December is motivating him to return from injury as quickly as possible.
The England international suffered a serious knee injury in April which was expected to keep him on the sidelines for at least six months.
Rodriguez has said that he does not want to miss his side's trip to Turf Moor on December 13.
"I want to be able to be fit to play in that and go back to Burnley. That is certainly my aim," the Lancashire Telegraph quotes him as saying.
"I haven't got a specific comeback date from injury and it is just about working through the phases at the moment. I think there are six phases to the recovery and when we get to stage six we can start looking at putting a timescale on it.
"But seeing the Burnley fixture in December definitely helps with motivation and I really want to play a part. It will be great to go back and see all the fans and be able to play at Turf Moor again and see some of the players and people at the club."
Burnley secured promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship last season.
Steven Toplis
