Ricardo To Return – Rodgers Reveals Latest Fitness News

- Ricardo Pereira back in contention to play for Leicester City following injury
- Brendan Rodgers gave an update on his contention on Thursday
- The Foxes face Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium this Saturday
- Boubakary Soumaré is not far away from being ready to return
- Updates were also provided on Jonny Evans, Wilfred Ndidi and Ryan Bertrand

The Portuguese full-back, out of action since suffering an Achilles injury during the pre-season encounter with Sevilla last July, played in a friendly at LCFC Training Ground earlier this week.

Approaching Saturday’s 3pm GMT kick-off against the Lilywhites at King Power Stadium, there was welcome news to bring on the injury front, with fellow full-back Ryan Bertrand also featuring for the Under-21s following a knee issue.

“He (Ricardo) has looked great, so he’ll come into the squad, which is great news for us,” the 50-year-old told the media on Thursday afternoon. “He played 70 minutes in a game on Tuesday. Him and Ryan Bertrand played in that.

“Those two have been out for a long, long time, but both did very well, got through the game, which is fantastic. Ricardo is probably a bit further down the line than Ryan.”

Elsewhere, Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi has recovered from a recent muscle concern, while also missing out on the win at Aston Villa. Midfielder Boubakary Soumaré may not be far away from a return himself, following a hamstring strain.

“Bouba has looked very good,” Rodgers said, assessing the Frenchman’s condition. “He probably won’t be ready for the weekend, so I think it’s going to be Manchester United for him. But he’s back earlier than was anticipated – about five-and-a-half weeks.

“I think at the time we mentioned about eight [weeks] for someone with that injury. He needs to build up a little bit more fitness. He’s looked good in the couple of sessions that he’s had and he’ll continue with that. And then by the time we get to Manchester United, I think he’ll be in a good place.”

On Ndidi, he added: “He’s back in training and hopefully should be fine for the weekend.”

Captain Jonny Evans’ recovery from a calf injury is ongoing, meanwhile. The 35-year-old centre-back has not featured for the Foxes in the Premier League since early October.

City’s manager explained: “Jonny has worked well, just a couple of little niggles from him coming back, having been out for so long, so we’ll assess how he is tomorrow.”