Brendan Rodgers has stated that Ricardo Pereira could return to action for Leicester after the upcoming international break.
The Portuguese defender has been out of action since March, when he ruptured his cruciate ligament in a challenge with Jack Grealish during the Foxes' 4-0 win over Aston Villa.
Missing a full eight months of football, the right-back could only watch on as Leicester relinquished their place in the Premier League's top four to eventually finish fifth in the 2019/20 table.However, he took a huge step in his rehabilitation when he flew out with the rest of the squad to Greece for their Europa League tie with AEK Athens. Pereira played no part in the game, but Rodgers confirmed after the 2-1 win that a date has been set for his return.
“We brought Ricardo out here to continue with his rehabilitation,” Rodgers told Leicester Live. “He's getting close but he won't feature before the international break. We're hopeful after that he will be available to take part.
“It's great news for us. He's progressed really well, he's worked ever so hard, and he's now joining in parts of the session with the outfield players, and we just wanted to keep that rehab going so we took him with us.”
That timeline would see him miss Premier League matches against Leeds and Wolves, which sandwich a home visit of Braga in the Europa League. There is a possibility that he could feature in some capacity after the international break when the Foxes take on Liverpool at Anfield.
Rodgers will be willing Pereira to recover as soon as he can, with Leicester's mounting injury crisis showing no signs of letting up.
With Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey and Wilfred Ndidi already absent with long-term injuries, Leicester were hit with the news that Timothy Castagne would be out until after the international break with a hamstring complaint. On top of that, Jonny Evans is a doubt for their trip to Elland Road.
For more from Ross Kennerley, follow him on Twitter!
Source : 90min