Ricardo Pereira has been ruled out for four months with a serious hamstring injury in a big blow to Leicester City.
The full-back, who had started the previous two Premier League matches, was missing from the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, with manager Steve Cooper revealing the severity of his issue at full-time. The Portuguese has been hampered by injuries during his City career and now faces another long spell on the sidelines.
It leaves Cooper with James Justin and Victor Kristiansen as the first-choice full-backs. Justin has been the subject of criticism from supporters throughout the season, with plenty of goals conceded down his right flank, while Kristiansen had a very difficult afternoon at Old Trafford, scoring an own goal and making a mistake for the United opener.
Jamie Vardy was also missing through injury, the captain sitting out for the first Premier League game this season. The striker has a back problem, which is not as serious as Ricardo’s issue but does not yet have a recovery timeline. With two weeks off before they face Chelsea, City will hope Vardy is back to face former manager Enzo Maresca.
“Jamie is a bit inconclusive,” Cooper said. “He picked up a nasty knock to his back last week and didn’t manage to shake it off, even though we were a week away. We’ll have to see how that goes. We’re still trying to work out what that is.
“Ricky is more conclusive and serious. It’s a hamstring injury and he’s going to be out for four months. That’s a blow, especially for him. We have to support them both in their recovery. Ricky will obviously be a lot longer than Jamie.”
Without Vardy, City failed to score in a Premier League match for the first time this season. In the second half, when chasing the game, they mustered just one shot. While they moved into the final third often enough, they didn’t threaten inside the box, missing Vardy’s nous.
Asked if City’s lack of threat was impacted by Vardy’s absence, Cooper said: “It will always be because he comes alive in the box. He is as good as it gets in terms of sniffing out a chance.
“We did get around United’s box a lot more than we have done in other games and that will be frustrating for him watching it. But it’s about the guys who played today and there were more than enough opportunities to cause damage today, but for whatever reason, and we will look at it, we didn’t turn good positions into productive moments.”
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