Lampard unimpressed by Kante situation

Frank Lampard says he has been left disgruntled by N’Golo Kante’s late return to the Chelsea camp following injury. The World Cup winner has been troubled by fitness injuries in recent months, having previously proved remarkably durable.
A hamstring issue troubled Kante towards the end of last season before a knee problem caused him difficulty in the summer and the boss has raised concerns about his fitness this season.
Slowly but surely, Kante got back to fitness but an ankle sprain saw him miss a month of action.
Again Kante returned and featured in the 2-1 win at Lille and 4-1 defeat of Southampton but subsequently picked up a groin injury.
After heading off on international duty, the former Caen man was not deemed fit enough to face Iceland and was expected to head back to Stamford Bridge to begin his recovery.
The club certainly expected him back but instead, Kante remained with Les Bleus for their home draw with Turkey at the Stade de France.
Next up for Chelsea is Newcastle at home on Saturday but the midfielder will not be involved due to his current ailment and Lampard is clearly not happy at the situation.
When quizzed about the problem, the 41-year-old did little to hide his feelings, criticising the way the issue was handled by the French coaching staff. “No, N’Golo is not fit. A small groin issue with France, he isn’t fit for Saturday,” Lampard told reporters. “After the first game when he pulled out, he had fitness test, and sat on the bench. That’s not a laughing matter, it could have been handled better.”
Chelsea will now look to manage Kante’s situation but with him out of the fixture against the Magpies, it remains to be seen when he returns.
The Londoners face Ajax on Wednesday in the Champions League, before travelling to Burnley a week on Saturday.