Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup after being dealt a fresh injury blow.
The 31-year-old was a key man for Didier Deschamps' French side in 2018, featuring in every match as Les Bleus were crowned world champions for the first time in 20 years. The former Leicester City star has 53 senior caps, the last of them coming in June this year, but missed the recent September internationals through injury.
Kante has played just twice for his club this season, starting the Premier League games against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. Muscular issues have kept him out for a number of weeks, but now the Barcelona target has received some more worrying news.
According to L'Equipe , Kante has suffered an "additional blow" over his hamstring injury. He is expected to be out for a further four to five games as the Blues face a busy schedule in the Premier League and Europe.
While the midfielder could still return to match fitness ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, the latest prognosis would give him just two games to prove his fitness to Deschamps. If he is indeed out for five games, that would mean he misses fixtures against Aston Villa, Brentford, Manchester United, Red Bull Salzburg, and Chelsea manager Graham Potter's former club Brighton & Hove Albion
Despite Kante being sidelined for the recent Nations League games against Austria and Denmark, France still had a solid bank of midfielders to call upon. Youssouf Fofana partnered Aurelien Tchouameni for the victory over Austria, while defeat in Denmark came with Tchouameni's Real Madrid teammate Eduardo Camavinga alongside the youngster.
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"On N’Golo, we are waiting on a reaction in training, and we’re waiting for the news on that," Chelsea boss Potter said on Monday. "It is not ideal and certainly disappointing for both him and for us. So, we have to wait and see the extent and then go from there.”
Kante has yet to feature under Potter, who took over from previous manager Thomas Tuchel in September. He also saw his opportunities limited last season, playing just 26 times in the league as groin and knee problems affected his involvement.
The former Caen midfielder wasn't the only player absent from France's squad for the most recent break, with the likes of Karim Benzema and Ibrahima Konate also unavailable, The pair have since returned to action for their clubs, though Lucas Hernandez - a starter in the last World Cup final - remains on the sidelines.
France are due to begin their World Cup campaign against Australia in Al Wakrah on November 22. Their other group games will see them take on Denmark and Tunisia as they look to get their title defence off to a strong start.
