Peyton Manning has said that he hopes for further improvement following his neck surgery in 2011.

The former Indianapolis Colts quarterback joined the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2012 season, having missed the previous year while recovering from a cervical fusion procedure to alleviate nerve problems in his neck and arm.

The four-time league MVP told WATE-TV: "You know, I still have certain challenges. When you're dealing with nerves, I've learned it's a patience deal. They kind of say it could be a year or two, or it may never come back, so I'm kind of hopeful.

"I kind of wish certain things would come back a little bit more, but I have learned to adjust and compensate in the state that I am. I still would like to make some more improvement. I still work at it.

"Obviously, I still can perform kind of status quo, but I still have hopes and determined to try to seek some more improvement. But, yeah, I'm certainly better than I was last year. But I'm still not quite where I was before I was injured."

Manning was included in the Pro Bowl roster for the 12th time in his career following the 2012 season.