Nigel Pearson is confident Dave Rennie can address Bristol City's far-reaching injury issues after making his first backroom appointment since taking charge at Ashton Gate.
Rennie has been named City's new Head of Medical Performance, having worked with Pearson at Leicester City over six years from 2008-2010 and 2011-2015.
City's 2020/21 Championship campaign was plagued by constant injury issues with the number of Robins' absentees for each matchday at double figures throughout much of the season.
As reported by Bristol Live and The Athletic in January, midfielder Joe Williams was among several players unhappy with how their recovery was managed with the 24-year-old making just two appearances all season after arriving from Wigan.
City haven't committed to an internal review but last month saw the exit of Head of Performance Andy Rolls, who has now followed CEO Mark Ashton to Ipswich Town.
Pearson believes Rennie was one of the unsung heroes of the Foxes' run to the Premier League title.
"I am delighted that Dave has decided to join us," Pearson said. "He is the one name too frequently omitted from the Leicester City success story - his influence across the club is immeasurable and he brings a level of expertise, experience and personality which is rare in sport.
"Dave is an expert in ensuring that players are physically robust enough to deal with the rigours of the football season. He is an important appointment in addressing that and building a fit and resilient squad."
Rennie has already begun working at the Robins High Performance Centre in overseeing the end-of-season baseline testing for players. He left Leicester in September after serving as head physio at the club for 20 years.
"This is a really exciting challenge which I am looking forward to getting stuck into," Rennie said. "There’s a lot of work to be done and I’ve already had positive discussions with the staff as well as meeting some of the players before the off-season."
The hiring of Rennie is the second Leicester-related arrival at City since Pearson took charge with right-back Danny Simpson joining on a short-term deal in March.
Simpson remains in talks over a new contract in the West Country having made four appearances towards the end of the season.
