Ricardo Pereira Ahead of Schedule in Recovery From Serious Knee Injury

Leicester City full-back Ricardo Pereira is targeting a return to action in six weeks, several months after he picked up a serious knee injury against Aston Villa.

The 27-year-old right-back has been out of action since March after undergoing surgery on damaged knee ligaments, and he was expected to be out for the remainder of the year.

But the Portuguese international is ahead of schedule in his recovery, and instead could be back in action at the beginning of December.

Pereira has already returned to training at Leicester's Belvoir Drive complex and confirmed to media in his homeland that he anticipates re-joining group training in two weeks time, with a view to returning to action around a month later.

“It’s on a good level,” Pereira 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. I begin working with the team in two weeks if, from then on, I gain the competitive pace and the necessary confidence. It will depend, but I believe within six weeks if all goes well.”

Pereira also touched on the difficulty of spending a prolonged period of time at home due to the complexities of the global coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s easier now, no doubt," he added. "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."

Pereira's return to action will be a welcome boost for Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers, though the Northern Irishman may have a slight selection headache once he reaches full fitness - with new signing Timothy Castagne impressing in the early stages of his Leicester career, and James Justin also proving his Premier League credentials at King Power Stadium.