first team, instead wanting him to be "absolutely spot on" before returning. Suffering several setbacks during rehabilitation, Tunchev flew to Barcelona, Spain in early February 2010 to see the specialist who originally treated his injury problem. He returned to England after undergoing the last of a series of injections to his knee in the hope of avoiding another operation. On 4 February 2010, Pearson said it was unlikely Tunchev would play again in the 2009–10 season. He was ruled out for six months after undergoing another knee operation on 2 March 2010. Return to fitness Tunchev made his return against San Jose Earthquakes in a behind-closed-doors friendly on 24 February 2011 at Belvoir Drive. He played for 65 minutes before being substituted. He finally played his first competitive game since September 2009 in a 4–2 win over Watford on 25 April 2011, albeit as a substitute during stoppage time. On 7 May 2011, Tunchev came on as a 30th-minute substitute in a 4–2 win over Ipswich Town, the final game of the 2010–11 season as Leicester finished in 10th place. By this time, he had played only five games in two seasons as a result of his two knee injuries. Loan to Crystal Palace After a successful pre-season with Leicester City, on 5 August 2011 Tunchev signed a one-year contract extension which was set to expire in 2012 and was sent originally on a month's loan to Crystal Palace, though this was later extended to a 3-month loan. Tunchev made 10 appearances in total in his brief stint at Palace. Return to Leicester Tunchev returned to Leicester after his loan spell at Crystal Palace had come to an end, with Nigel Pearson, who originally brought him to England having returned to manage the Foxes. After a couple of months of trying to prove his fitness following a further groin injury, Pearson recalled Tunchev to the first team on 2 January 2012 to face the Crystal Palace side he had been on loan with earlier in the season. Leicester won the game 2–1. Tunchev was released by the club on 19 May 2012 after failing to do enough to earn an extension to his contract. Zagłębie Lubin In the summer of 2012, Tunchev was also on trial with Ludogorets Razgrad, catching the eye of then manager Ivaylo Petev, but the Razgrad team eventually decided against offering him a contract. In September