diff --git a/lib/templatesimplifier.cpp b/lib/templatesimplifier.cpp
index 71d82cad8..a501b7623 100644
--- a/lib/templatesimplifier.cpp
+++ b/lib/templatesimplifier.cpp
@@ -1031,9 +1031,11 @@ void TemplateSimplifier::expandTemplate(
                  instantiateMatch(tok3, typeParametersInDeclaration.size(), ":: ~| %name% (")) {
             // there must be template..
             bool istemplate = false;
+            const Token * tok5 = nullptr; // start of function return type
             for (const Token *prev = tok3; prev && !Token::Match(prev, "[;{}]"); prev = prev->previous()) {
                 if (prev->str() == "template") {
                     istemplate = true;
+                    tok5 = prev;
                     break;
                 }
             }
@@ -1045,6 +1047,15 @@ void TemplateSimplifier::expandTemplate(
                 tok4 = tok4->next();
             if (!Tokenizer::isFunctionHead(tok4, ":{", true))
                 continue;
+            // find function return type start
+            tok5 = tok5->next()->findClosingBracket();
+            if (tok5)
+                tok5 = tok5->next();
+            // copy return type
+            while (tok5 && tok5 != tok3) {
+                mTokenList.addtoken(tok5, tok5->linenr(), tok5->fileIndex());
+                tok5 = tok5->next();
+            }
             mTokenList.addtoken(newName, tok3->linenr(), tok3->fileIndex());
             while (tok3 && tok3->str() != "::")
                 tok3 = tok3->next();
diff --git a/test/testsimplifytemplate.cpp b/test/testsimplifytemplate.cpp
index 8757f7218..c8217cc74 100644
--- a/test/testsimplifytemplate.cpp
+++ b/test/testsimplifytemplate.cpp
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ private:
         TEST_CASE(template63);  // #8576 - qualified type
         TEST_CASE(template64);  // #8683
         TEST_CASE(template65);  // #8321
+        TEST_CASE(template66);  // #8725
         TEST_CASE(template_specialization_1);  // #7868 - template specialization template <typename T> struct S<C<T>> {..};
         TEST_CASE(template_specialization_2);  // #7868 - template specialization template <typename T> struct S<C<T>> {..};
         TEST_CASE(template_enum);  // #6299 Syntax error in complex enum declaration (including template)
@@ -949,11 +950,11 @@ private:
                                 "template void Fred<float> :: f ( ) ; "
                                 "template void Fred<int> :: g ( ) ; "
                                 "class Fred<float> { void f ( ) ; void g ( ) ; } ; "
-                                "Fred<float> :: f ( ) { } "
-                                "Fred<float> :: g ( ) { } "
+                                "void Fred<float> :: f ( ) { } "
+                                "void Fred<float> :: g ( ) { } "
                                 "class Fred<int> { void f ( ) ; void g ( ) ; } ; "
-                                "Fred<int> :: f ( ) { } "
-                                "Fred<int> :: g ( ) { }";
+                                "void Fred<int> :: f ( ) { } "
+                                "void Fred<int> :: g ( ) { }";
 
         ASSERT_EQUALS(expected, tok(code));
     }
@@ -1192,6 +1193,24 @@ private:
         tok(code); // don't crash
     }
 
+    void template66() { // #8725
+        const char code[] = "template <class T> struct Fred {\n"
+                            "    const int ** foo();\n"
+                            "};\n"
+                            "template <class T> const int ** Fred<T>::foo() { return nullptr; }\n"
+                            "Fred<int> fred;";
+        const char exp [] = "Fred<int> fred ; struct Fred<int> { "
+                            "const int * * foo ( ) ; "
+                            "} ; "
+                            "const int * * Fred<int> :: foo ( ) { return nullptr ; }";
+        const char curr[] = "template < class T > const int * * Fred < T > :: foo ( ) { return nullptr ; } "
+                            "Fred<int> fred ; struct Fred<int> { "
+                            "const int * * foo ( ) ; "
+                            "} ; "
+                            "const int * * Fred<int> :: foo ( ) { return nullptr ; }";
+        TODO_ASSERT_EQUALS(exp, curr, tok(code));
+    }
+
     void template_specialization_1() {  // #7868 - template specialization template <typename T> struct S<C<T>> {..};
         const char code[] = "template <typename T> struct C {};\n"
                             "template <typename T> struct S {a};\n"