Fiorentina forward Giuseppe Rossi will not hurry his return as he recovers from the latest injury to his troubled right knee, he said yesterday.

Rossi, who missed Euro 2012 and World Cup with injuries to the knee, has not played since September when he underwent surgery.

“I have to respect all the deadlines, without any hurry,” the 28-year-old told reporters.

“We are working every day and we are at a good point, but I’ll only be back the day that my knee tells me I can.

“I really want to give great satisfaction to Fiorentina and the fans because they deserve it,” added the United States-born player.

“They have always supported me even when I was not playing and I suffered various injuries.”

“I have always come out stronger, thanks to my family,” he said, adding that he was also determined to play for Italy again.

“The blue shirt always represents one of my goals,” he said.

The injury saga began in 2011 when Rossi suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while playing for Villarreal against Real Madrid.

He fought desperately to be fit again in time for Euro 2012, only to re-injure the knee in training two months before the tournament.

Although he made an excellent comeback with Fiorentina last season, scoring 14 goals to make him Serie A’s leading scorer, he then suffered a second degree sprain to the medial collateral ligament in the same knee.