Leicester City are seeing the true Ricardo Pereira after he overcame post-injury troubles. The Portuguese full-back now “feels really happy in his game”, manager Brendan Rodgers says, eight months after he made his Premier League comeback from a long-term knee injury. When he first returned to the side after ACL surgery in March 2020, Ricardo “was not quite right”, and he only started two of the club’s final nine games of last season. But after a summer’s break and a full pre-season, he has looked close to the form that earned him the club’s player of the year award in 2019 and brilliantly set up Jamie Vardy’s winner at Wolves on Saturday.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I’m so happy for him because he’d been out for so long then got some game-time towards the end of last season, but was not quite right. I think we all know what he looks like at his best. Over these last couple of games, once those hips start moving and he starts to sway with the ball and go past people, you know he’s getting there. He feels really happy in his game. His fitness is improving but he’s still got a way to go, like the other players, but I think now you’re starting to see the player that was at the real top of his game just before his injury. There’s a bit to go but the signs are really promising for him.”
Ricardo is making the right-back spot his own again while team-mates are out injured, with Timothy Castagne only just making his way back from surgery on a fractured eye socket, and James Justin still on the mend from his own ACL tear. On the left-hand side, City have Ryan Bertrand and Luke Thomas to choose from, giving Rodgers five options at full-back, all of whom have a case for starting when fit.
Brendan Rodgers said: You just want the options, which is nice. We’ve got top players in that department and that’s what you want if you want to be a team that is competitive. It’s something we’re continually looking to grow here, if you want to have a top team, you’ve got to have a top pool of players, and that’s something year on year we’re trying to improve. It means if there’s injuries, or you want to change the dynamic of the game, or through fitness reasons you might want to change the team, you can do that. The players who come in will be hungry to perform.”
