Ricardo Pereira has yet to play a minute this season after rupturing his Achilles in the final preseason game, but he did participate in a behind-closed-doors game this week.
Ricardo Pereira, who returned to action in a behind-closed-doors game this week, could make his first appearance of the season for Leicester City against Tottenham on Saturday.
After rupturing his Achilles in the final pre-season friendly, a 1-0 win over Sevilla, the full-back has been unable to play this season. He is now able to return after more than six months of recuperation.
Ricardo and Ryan Bertrand, who has not played in over a year, both played 70 minutes in an Under-21s friendly against Peterborough at City’s Seagrave training ground this week. Ricardo will be in the squad to face Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium on Saturday after surviving that match unscathed.
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“(Ricardo) has looked great, he’ll come into the squad, which is great news for us,” Brendan Rodgers said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday, he played 70 minutes in a game. That was done by him and Ryan Bertrand.
“Those two have been out for a long time, but both did very well and got through the game. Ricardo is probably a little further along than Ryan. He’ll now join the squad, which is great news for us.”
Wilfred Ndidi is also back in contention after missing the win over Aston Villa due to personal reasons. Jonny Evans, who hasn’t played in the Premier League since October, could also return.
However, the game comes a little too soon for midfielder Boubakary Soumare. The Frenchman strained his hamstring in the first match of 2023 and will be out for another week.
“Bouba has looked fantastic,” Rodgers said. “He’s probably not going to be ready for the weekend. He’ll be playing for Manchester United.
“He arrived earlier than expected. It has now been five and a half weeks. We mentioned about eight at the time for that injury. He needs to get a little more in shape. He’s looked great in the sessions he’s had, and he’ll keep it up. He’ll be in good shape by the time we get to Manchester United.
“Jonny, he’s done a good job. He’s had a couple of niggles from being out for so long, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. (Ndidi) is back in training and should be ready for the weekend.”
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