- Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has provided some insight as to when key central midfielder N’Golo Kante can be expected to return to action.
The 2016-17 PFA Player of the Year suffered a hamstring injury on international duty with France, playing in Les Bleus FIFA World Cup qualifying games, and has not yet returned to the fray for Chelsea following the international break.
The Blues lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, with Kante joining Alvaro Morata as a key player unfit to take to the Selhurst Park pitch — but manager Conte has provided an update on his return (via The Sport Review):
[Going by] the previous scan [he will be out for] maybe… around 20 days… 25 days.
Whether Conte means Kante will be able to train fully in 20-25 days, or whether he means the Frenchman will be back in the side by then is unclear — but here are the games he will miss, in either scenario:
- Roma (H)
- Watford (H)
- Everton (H)
- Bournemouth (A)
- Roma (A)
- Manchester United (H)
Back in action: West Bromwich Albion (A) or Qarabag (A)
With two crucial games against Roma as well as the visit of Manchester United coming up, Conte will very much be hoping that his estimation is wrong and the Frenchman can return to action sooner.
