Ricardo Pereira's injury is worse than first feared | OneFootball

Leicester City returned to action on Saturday afternoon but one man who won’t be back anytime soon is defender Ricardo Pereira.

The right-back has been a key figure for the Foxes this season but sustained knee ligament damage during his side’s final game before lockdown.

While it was initially hoped that Pereira’s injury wasn’t too severe, manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that he is likely to be sidelined for another four months.

However, the Irishman was full of praise for his replacement James Justin and how he filled in during the Foxes’ 1-1 draw at Watford.

“I can’t worry too much about missing Ricky because he’s now going to be out until October time,” Rodgers told reporters.

“But I thought JJ was very good. He’s a fantastic young defender who stepped up from League One and spent a lot of the season not playing.

“My job is to develop the players we have. His defending is a big strength and his attacking will only get better.

“He is different to Ricky. He runs without the ball and can get behind the opponents’ defensive line. He did very well.”

Saturday’s clash was only the 22-year-old’s third Premier League start and ninth Leicester appearance overall.