Ricardo ‘back in six weeks’
PORTUGUESE RIGHT-BACK EXPECTED TO BE PLAYING BY EARLY DECEMBER
RICARDO Pereira’s long-awaited Leicester City return will be “within six weeks”, the right-back has estimated.
It has been seven months since the Portuguese star damaged knee ligaments in City’s 4-0 win against Aston Villa.
While there were suggestions of a late October return, manager Brendan Rodgers said last week he was “way off”, and it seems the 27-year-old is more likely to play his comeback game in early December.
Ricardo is training on the grass again at Belvoir Drive and expects he will join his team-mates for group sessions in the next fortnight.
Then it’s a case of building his match fitness following the most serious injury of his career. “It’s on a good level,” Ricardo told Portuguese outlet O Jogo. “I’m doing individual work and I already do the warm-up with the team, but for now I’m still progressing individually, and then I will gradually move on to collective work.
“It’s still a bit early to talk about it (a return date). I begin working with the team in two weeks and from then on, I will need to gain the competitive pace and the necessary confidence.
“It will depend, but I believe within six weeks. As I’ve never been through any of this, I’m not sure of the deadlines, but I believe it will be around this, if all goes well.”
Although there is still a period of patience required for Ricardo, he is feeling much better now than when he first had surgery and was stuck at home amid a pandemic, nursing a painful knee.
“It’s easier now, no doubt,” he said. “At first it was more complicated, especially post-surgery, because I was in pain, and I was on crutches and needed help with just about everything at home.
“Add to that the fact that we are in quarantine due to the pandemic.
“Those were very complicated times, but now it’s a lot easier, especially since I started running and doing ball work.
“These are always more interesting tasks and we know that we are close to playing and training again.
“This makes it much easier than when it was just gym work.”