Jese Rodriguez has taken the positives from his long spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

The Real Madrid attacker suffered a torn cruciate knee ligament in March, but has returned to action over the last couple of weeks.

The Spaniard has decided to look on the bright side of his long absence, claiming that his time on the sidelines has made him "stronger".

"I had a very tough time, but I think that things in life happen for a reason. Maybe I had the injury because I needed to learn and become a more mature footballer. I know that I've come back stronger. You learn from everything, even from these experiences," he told FIFA.com.

"I've learned to be more professional in every respect. I take better care of myself now in terms of my diet, the attention I pay to [conditioning] my muscles and my fitness. I intend to keep applying everything I've learned until I retire from the game."

Jese is currently with the Real Madrid squad in Morocco for the Club World Cup.