Leicester City have been without right-back Ricardo Pereira since he suffered ligament damage against Aston Villa last season. The Portugal international was sidelined in March and much to the delight of fans, he has made his long-awaited return to the pitch.

Pereira took to the grass for the first time in eight months on Monday. He was named as part of Steve Beaglehole's U23 starting lineup in what would play out to be a 2-1 win over West Ham U23s.

Whilst he may not be ready to return to the physical demands of the Premier League just yet, getting just under an hour of action under his belt is a huge step in the right direction for the defender. He is a player that a lot of former professionals have lauded, including Jamie Carragher who waxed lyrical about how "classy" of a performer he is.

The Foxes were forced to recruit during the summer when Pereira's injury left them with just James Justin at right-back. Brendan Rodgers and co picked out Timothy Castagne as the 27-year-old's replacement for the bulk of the new season. However, following his appearance with the reserve league, Pereira could make his return to action quicker than initially expected.

This will certainly be a relief for Rodgers, who is also feeling the strain of key centre-back Caglar Soyuncu's absence through injury. Having a reliable player back in the team will help steady Leicester's ship and avoid their decline towards the end of last campaign.

Pereira himself put out a heartfelt Instagram message to thank supporters for standing by him during what will have been one of the most difficult periods of his career. That in itself is a huge boost for both fans and his teammates as he is clearly feeling good about his return.

With focus on training and a few more U23 matches under his belt, the £28.8million-rated workhorse will soon be ready to pick up where he left off last season.

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