Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is hoping he can return to action sooner than expected after injury.
The 24-year-old came off after just 27 minutes in Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary on Saturday after aggravating an ankle injury that he suffered with Los Merengues, and medical tests indicated he could be out for a month.
The former Manchester United man underwent surgery on the same ankle in July last year, spending two months on the sidelines at the start of last season, but he insists this latest setback is not a recurrence of the same problem.
And Ronaldo, who was in excellent form for Madrid before the international break, wants to get back on the pitch as soon as he can.
"I will work very hard to try to shorten the length of time I'm out, even though now what's important is to recuperate perfectly so as not to return to having problems," he told AS .
"It's a different injury to that which I was operated on. It's got nothing to do with that.
"I'm calm because I know that with the desire I have to get better and the good work of the physiotherapists at Madrid everything will go very well."
The Spanish giants may feel aggrieved that Ronaldo was even risked by Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz, after he missed the game against Sevilla in La Liga the week before because of a clash with Marseille's Souleymane Diawara in the UEFA Champions League.
"I felt very good, but I wasn't at 100 per cent, I had a bit of discomfort," he added.
"But I wanted to push myself to help my country go to the World Cup. I'm upset because I was in a good period of form and so being injured again is something that affects me even more.
"I'm not the country's saviour, but after the defeat against Sevilla, I wanted to help my Real Madrid team-mates win the next few games."
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