Full-back Hugo Keenan is aiming to be fit for Ireland’s Six Nations campaign after being sidelined by a hip injury.
Keenan has not played since the British and Irish Lions’ victorious tour of Australia in the summer.
The 29-year-old scored the decisive try in the second Test to secure the series but had pre-planned hip surgery shortly after returning home.
That ruled him out of Ireland’s autumn internationals but he is set to return for Leinster in the new year, before Andy Farrell’s side take on France in their Six Nations opener on 5 February.
“You’re brought back down to earth quite quickly from the Lions when you’re on crutches for four or five weeks,” said Keenen on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast on BBC Sounds.
“You have to get it right and not rush it. I’m back running and moving, and I’m targeting a January return.”
Despite being sidelined since the Lions, Keenan said that scoring the decisive try in the victory in Australia is “the stuff you dream of”.
“That whole Lions tour was mad. The injury I went in with, to illness and then being the luckiest lad on the team because everyone got injured,” he said.
“It’s funny how the world works sometimes.”
Reigning champions Leinster have had a difficult start to the United Rugby Championship season with three victories from their six matches.
After winning back-to-back Six Nations titles, Ireland slipped to third in this year’s table and lost to New Zealand and South Africa in November.
However, Keenan says he doesn’t have any concerns about the state of play with both province and country.
“I don’t think the past few years have been perfect. We’ve had good years with Leinster and Ireland, but you can’t win them all,” he said.
“There’s been brilliant days and really tough days. I wouldn’t worry about the state of it at the moment.”