Look who’s on his way back
RICARDO PLAYS AN HOUR FOR U23S IN HIS FIRST APPEARANCE FOR EIGHT MONTHS
RICARDO Pereira turned out at the King Power Stadium for the first time in eight months as he started the final phase of his comeback with 60 minutes for Leicester City’s Under-23s.
The Portuguese right-back made his long-awaited return from his serious knee injury in the 2-1 win over West Ham on Monday night and, while he showed plenty of the attributes that saw him establish himself as one of the best full-backs in the Premier League, there was an unsurprising rustiness to his display too
ne of the most positive aspects of Ricardo’s hour on the pitch at the King Power Stadium was his bravery to commit to challenges and to attempt to perform how he did before suffering cruciate ligament damage against Aston Villa in March.
There can be a mental block when players return from long lay-offs and that can lead to a subconscious shirking of tackles or backing out of moments where there is a greater risk of another injury.
But Ricardo showed no signs of that. Midway through the first half, he stooped to head clear a dangerous cross and took a boot to the face in the process.
Thankfully for the watching City boss Brendan Rodgers, he picked himself up.
He committed to 50-50s too, and did not shy out of dribbling at the
West Ham players. On the ball, the trademark Ricardo move was on full display as he shaped to carry the ball down the line before diverting inside.
He was lacking his usual speed though, and he did run into danger more often than normal, meaning he was either crowded out or tackled. His touch let him down on occasion too, with simple passes miscontrolled out of play, while he was not seen in the West Ham half too often, choosing not to overlap as regularly as he usually would, which meant he had fewer opportunities to create chances.
In fact, a red card 10 minutes in for City ensured most of Ricardo’s involvement was at the defensive end.
There were plenty of headers at the back post, Ricardo showing off good positioning to snuff. out danger, but there were aOfew lazy legs dangled when West Ham dribbled down their left flank at the Portuguese.
The best news for Rodgers will have been Ricardo jogging off in the 59th minute without any signs of injury or even a niggle.
More Under-23s outings may be required before he is back to his best, with Steve Beaglehole’s side next in action next Monday, away at Tottenham Hotspur.