N'Golo Kante is set to miss France's defence of the World Cup after the midfielder suffered a recurrence of his hamstring issue.
He sustained the problem during training and is due to be sidelined for three months. Kante has been be missing since he picked up an injury in Chelsea 's draw with Tottenham back in August, although he had since made a return to training. The Frenchman has now aggravated his problem and is set for an extended period out.
The Athletic has claimed that there is no chance Kante will recover in time for France's campaign in Qatar, which will come as a blow given his importance to their success four years ago.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter has confirmed that Kante will meet with a consultant this weekend as the club look to get more information on the severity of the injury. He said: “‘He’s due to see a consultant at the weekend. It’s a setback, it’s not good news, but I can’t give you anything more at this stage.
“Historically there are things which have happened which is a concern, so we need to get to the bottom of that. It’s a setback at this stage of this rehab which is worrying, but all we can do is get the right diagnosis, get the right consultation, and try and help him get back to full fitness and enjoying his football.”
Kante will see his contract expire next summer and his period on the sidelines will not further his chances of receiving the type of extension he is seeking at Stamford Bridge. The two parties have come together to discuss Kante's future, but the club have rejected his terms.
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The midfielder started in the World Cup final win over Croatia back in 2018 and his international boss, Didier Deschamps, who has presided over a poor run of form, previously claimed that Kante was his first name on the team sheet.
He said last year: “The midfielder works in the shadows. He is not given media attention because he is not 'decisive'. From time to time, lights get shone on them. That is the case for Kanté now. He is above all the first player that his team-mates pick for their teams in training! And he is the first name that a coach, a national team manager, notes down when he is deciding his starting XI.”
Kante has won 53 caps for his country, who have been paired in a World Cup group with Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. At club level, Chelsea have a host of central midfielders which has allowed them to fill the void left by their star.
