Florenzi: In September we'll start thinking about my return

The Italy international is currently undergoingrehabilitation after suffering his second cruciate ligament injury in less than a year, a devastating misfortune that saw him miss the vast majority of the 2016-17 campaign.

Florenzi is now approaching a return to full training and, while he remains fully concentrated on leaving no stone unturned in his recovery, admits the World Cup is helping to focus his attention further.

The versatile player was a key member of Italy's 2016 European Championship squad.

“Let's say it's an added incentive,” Florenzi told Sky Sports, when asked about the World Cup. “Being called up for it is definitely a personal target of mine and then of course I'd hope to do well with Italy.”

Despite that long-term target, the 26-year-old cautioned that it might still be a little while before he is out on the pitch in competitive games for his club.

“I'm slowly increasing the workload but it will be a while before I'm back out there on the pitch with the others,” Florenzi said. "Despite that, I'm happy with how it's going at the moment.

“We'll probably be able to set a date [for my return] after September. First we have to see if I can clear the various hurdles. We have to take things one step at a time.”

Florenzi is looking forward to working closely with new coach Eusebio Di Francesco – admitting that the coach will see him in action before any decision will be made about where the notoriously versatile player will fit into the system.

“He wasted no time in explaining his ideas to us and we've tried to put his tactics into practice,” he said. “He had Sassuolo playing good football and they defended very well. We're making good progress and now the lads who were on holiday will join up with us too.

“We'll get ourselves on the right track to ensure we have an excellent season.”

While he remains solely focused on his personal recovery, Florenzi believes it will be another very competitive campaign at the top of Serie A.

“I think [Juve remain the favourites],” Florenzi said. “They have great players and a great history. They're a very solid group too. They're still the team to beat.

“I'm sure [Luciano] Spalletti will help Inter to have an excellent season. Napoli haven't changed much but they're still a great team who produced some of the best football last term.”