Maddison Working His Way To Full Fitness, Says Rodgers

- Leicester City host Newcastle United at King Power Stadium on Friday (8pm kick-off)
- James Maddison's fitness was discussed during Brendan Rodgers' press conference this week
- The England midfielder is working towards returning to full fitness after a hip issue in recent weeks
- The Foxes manager also provided an update on Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira and Wes Morgan

The Foxes welcome Newcastle United to King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Friday evening (8pm kick-off) looking to stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches.

England midfielder Maddison played 90 minutes during last Friday's 1-1 draw with Southampton and Rodgers says he is gradually returning to full fitness after a hip issue.

"It’s a catch-22 with James because he needs the games to get up to full speed, but at the same time they’re important games for us," the Northern Irishman said on Wednesday afternoon. "He’s a really important player for us. He’s gradually working his way towards that.

"The 90 minutes was important for him, he’s had a good week’s training this week and then he will look to take that into the next game. He’s an outstanding player. He’s not at his full level of fitness yet but the only way you get that is in games, so it’s another week for him.

"Hopefully he can perform at his highest level against Newcastle."

Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans, meanwhile, is also in contention to feature on Filbert Way this Friday despite managing a fitness issue of his own over previous weeks. The former Manchester United defender has scored two goals in his last three matches for the Club.

"Jonny will be fine for the weekend," Rodgers explained. "It’s just something which was provoked towards the end of the game, a little bit of soreness afterwards, but he should be fine for Friday."

Ricardo Pereira, on the other hand, could also appear for the Foxes against Newcastle after sitting out City's last three Premier League fixtures. Rodgers says the Portugal full-back has impressed in training over recent weeks and benefited from a spell out of the starting XI.

"Ricky played in the West Ham game and he’s continued to work in training and I’m pretty sure he will play a part on Friday," the 48-year-old added. "We changed the balance of the team for those games, but each game is different and Ricky’s had a few weeks of training and he’s looked really good."

Rodgers also provided an update on captain Wes Morgan, who has been recovering from a back complaint: "Wes is not available for Friday. He’s still working with the rehab team and getting back to some sort of level of fitness."

All times BST.