It was great to see N'Golo Kante back in the Chelsea starting XI on Tuesday night. In truth, it looked like he had been playing game in and game out all season-long.
It was a gentle reminder - if at all needed - of Kante's world-class talent and what he can offer Chelsea. Now, with Frank Lampard in interim charge of the team, the France international is returning to full fitness and should play a crucial role between now and the end of the season.
Lampard, though, faces a serious dilemma when it comes to selecting his first Chelsea team - for the second time if that makes sense - against Wolves later this afternoon. The trip to Molineux is just days before the Blues' all-important Champions League quarter-final first-leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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With Kante having been out for almost eight months with a serious hamstring injury that required surgery, Chelsea and Lampard need to manage the Frenchman's game-time. He completed 69 minutes in Tuesday's draw with Liverpool. In that time he was probably Chelsea's strongest performer but Bruno Saltor knew the 32-year-old wasn't ready to complete the full game.
It was still a massive step for Kante to complete a large chunk of what was a big game against the Reds, albeit not the fast, action-packed encounter we've come to expect. Lampard, though, could be tempted to start Kante from the bench against Wolves on Saturday afternoon with, let's face it, a much bigger game against Real Madrid to come just days after.
The Frenchman has proved throughout his time with the club that he shows up in the very biggest games. He played such a significant role in Chelsea's Champions League triumph in 2021 and produced one of his best-ever performances in the victory over Manchester City in the final of the competition.
Lampard could instead use Mateo Kovacic and Enzo Fernandez in a double-pivot in the Chelsea midfield, a pairing that was utilised in recent weeks by former head coach Graham Potter. There's also scope for a start for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with the English midfielder someone Lampard admires very much.
It really is impossible to try and guess what Lampard will do in terms of team selection this afternoon but logic would suggest that Kante is handed a rest. That's how crucial he is to the team.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are still confident they can reach an agreement with Kante's entourage over an extension on his contract. His current deal is set to expire in June but talks have progressed in recent weeks over extending his stay.
football.london has been told that Kante is very happy at Stamford Bridge and would like to remain with the club beyond the expiration of his deal. However, no agreement is in place just yet, so Chelsea's board will be hoping they can sort the situation sooner rather than later to avoid any unnecessary distractions for Kante in the final games of the season.
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