N'Golo Kante could miss World Cup after aggravating hamstring injury
By Tom Gott
N'Golo Kante faces a race against time to recover from his latest injury setback in time to feature in the World Cup in Qatar next month.
The Frenchman hasn't appeared for Chelsea since the second game of the Premier League season, in which he picked up a muscle injury which has seen him miss the start of Graham Potter's tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Kante did return to training late in September and had been touted to return in the recent 2-0 victory over AC Milan, only to aggravate his hamstring issue in the build-up to the game and return to the sidelines.
While there has been no official confirmation of his recovery timeline, L'Equipe claim Kante is facing at least another two weeks on the sidelines, which will see the midfielder miss another five games across all competitions.
Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey and Toby Cudworth are joined by Tom Gott in the latest episode of Talking Transfers. The team discuss Erling Haaland's Manchester City release clause, Mason Mount's future at Chelsea and their sporting director plans, and what the future could hold for 700-goal Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd. Available on all audio platforms.
If you can't see the podcast embed, click here to download the episode in full!
Even if Kante recovers on schedule, he would then have just one match to prove his fitness before Didier Deschamps names his France squad for the World Cup on November 9 - Chelsea face Arsenal in the Premier League on November 6 before a Carabao Cup clash with Manchester City on the evening of Deschamps' announcement date.
With a number of injuries blighting the French squad in recent months, it is understood that Deschamps will decline to select any player whose fitness is in question, meaning Kante will be in a real rush to prove himself.
The 31-year-old hasn't played for his country since early June, missing Les Bleus' last five matches because of various injury concerns.
With both Kante and midfield partner Paul Pogba injured, Deschamps has handed opportunities to the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana and Matteo Guendouzi, who have combined to mixed results as France head into the World Cup on a run of just one win from six games.