'Never be the same' - Medical expert fears over Leicester City star's form after injury return

Injury expert Ben Dinnery warns Ricardo Pereira "may never be the same" again after returning from an ACL injury.

The Portuguese suffered the rupture in January of last year and spent almost a year sidelined before suffering a fractured fibula in December.

And since then, the 28-year-old's form has seen a decline with the little setbacks he has faced.

He was recently substituted off at half-time in the win over Burnley due to a hamstring problem, which meant he missed out in the last two games against Leeds United and Rennes.

Dinnery who runs Premier Injuries explained the "sad reality" that is so common for some players who return from long-term injuries.

"His season has been very stop-start and it goes all the way back to that ACL rupture," Dinnery told Football Insider.

"There were high levels of expectation because pre-injury he was in top form. But we need to understand that players can’t return to those levels overnight.

"The sad reality is that some players may never be the same. We have seen glimpses from Pereira but he’s been blighted by little setbacks.

"Football is a contact sport and sometimes you’re just unlucky. That factored into that leg fracture. His hamstring problems are a separate issue.

"Brendan Rodgers will look to protect him. They will take things nice and easy until the end of the season.

"They will be looking at a total reset in pre-season. There’s no need to take any unnecessary risks with Pereira."