England's Jack Rodwell hoping hard work can help put injuries behind him

Jack Rodwell is hoping to put his injury problems behind him for good, as the final stage of the season approaches.

The England Under-21 and Manchester City midfielder has had a campaign disrupted by niggling hamstring problems, which mean he hasn't been a regular for either club or country in recent months.

But the 21-year-old is now back to full fitness and hoping to challenge for a place in both Robert Mancini and Stuart Pearce's squads.

He said: "My main aim now is to stay fit. That has been my main problem for the last year or so, an inability to stay fit and shrug off little injuries.

"That has held me back and I think, if I can stay fit, the games will come.

"I have been working really hard, keeping up my work and feeling as fit as ever."

Rodwell made the move to the Etihad Stadium from Everton last August after becoming a regular at Goodison Park since first breaking onto the first-team scene as a teenager.

With international caps for England at U16, U17, U19 and Under-21 level before making his Senior debut against Spain in 2011, Rodwell already has a lot of experience under his belt for a player who is still young to feature for the Under-21s.

And after making his comeback for City in last weekend's FA Cup win over Leeds United, he's hoping that the hard work put in behind-the-scenes will pay off in the long term with extra training on a daily basis.

He explained: "I have stuck to a six or seven-week programme where I have not had a day off.

"I have hammered the work, done a lot of hamstring work and luckily, touch wood, it has worked.

"I intend to keep that up for the rest of my career. Hopefully I will stay fit and strong."

Rodwell will also be targeting a place in the England Under-21 squad for the summer's Euro Finals in Israel, after featuring in their play-off win over Serbia earlier this season.