Rodgers confirms bitter Leicester blow after horror Liverpool moment
Brendan Rodgers confirmed Leicester full-back Ricardo Pereira has suffered a broken leg after a horror challenge in their recent clash with Liverpool.
Leicester suffered heartache in the penalty shoot-out last week when bowing out of the League Cup at the quarter-final stage. The Foxes had raced into a two-goal lead inside just 13 minutes, but their early joy was tempered after Ricardo Pereira was substituted with an injury.
In the 10th minute, the Portuguese was hacked down by a dangerous lunge from Tyler Morton. The youngster was selected to start in midfield alongside James Milner and Naby Keita with Liverpool’s Covid outbreak squeezing their midfield options.
Despite the reckless nature of the tackle, referee Andy Madley deemed the foul worthy of just a yellow.
However, Pereira was unable to continue, and Rodgers recently confirmed the 28-year-old suffered a broken leg.
Rodgers confirms Pereira absence length
“Ricardo Pereira will be [out for] six to eight weeks,” said Rodgers in the fallout of their defeat to Manchester City.
“That’s so frustrating for him with how hard he has worked. For the referee not to see that, it’s a fractured fibula and he’s lucky it’s not worse.”
The injury is the latest in a series of misfortunes Pereira has suffered. He was sidelined for 10 months after suffering an ACL injury in 2020. The League Cup clash with Liverpool was also his first match back after a month out with a hamstring issue.
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Nonetheless, Pereira chose to seek the positives when reflecting on the latest setback. However, he did acknowledge the curiousness of just a yellow card being shown to Morton.
Pereira wrote on Instagram (via the Liverpool Echo): “Perspectives. You can say I should feel unlucky after coming off in my returning game and part of me is.
“But after what could be a season-ending tackle, what could be an ACL, I’m feeling lucky it’s none of those even though I’ll be out some time.
“Like I say, it’s perspective. For some it was just a yellow card.”
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Liverpool exit ramps up; replacement ready to shine
Meanwhile, Neco Williams could soon leave Liverpool following a struggle for minutes and Klopp has a replacement in mind, a report has claimed.
The Athletic reports that Williams and Liverpool are beginning to recognise the effect the lack of game time is having on the player.
The 20-year-old is impressing for Wales and scored on his 16th cap back in November. And Wales boss Robert Page has already admitted that Williams should be considering a move away. The Athletic now report that Liverpool and Williams may come to a mutual agreement to sell the player.
He will likely want more experience, be that in the Premier League or elsewhere, and to develop his career. Wales, meanwhile, want Williams in top shape ahead of their World Cup play-off campaign in March.
Despite the exit talk, the right-back recently insisted that he feels happy to stay at Liverpool. According to The Athletic, though, Liverpool academy talent Conor Bradley could be Williams’ replacement.
The 18-year-old right-back already has three senior Northern Ireland caps to his name. At club level, he has made his name in Liverpool’s Under-23s team. As such, he has enjoyed glimpses of first-team action this season.
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