Chelsea have announced that midfielder N’Golo Kante will be sidelined for four months after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury.
The 31-year-old suffered an injury on the second weekend of the season, causing him to be replaced in the final minutes of a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Kante was anticipated to return to the team following the international break, a forecast that appeared to be on track as the Frenchman made appearances on the training field.
Despite appearing to be making significant improvement, Kante was not included to any of Graham Potter’s lineups at the start of October.
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Potter confirmed last week, amid reports from France, that Kante had sustained a setback in his quest to regain his place in the starting lineup and will visit a specialist over the weekend.
On Tuesday evening, it was stated that all parties involved had decided that a surgery was the best option.
“N’Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“The midfielder visited a specialist with the club’s medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N’Golo to have surgery to repair the damage.
“Following a successful operation, N’Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months.”
While Kante has struggled with fitness since joining Chelsea in 2016, the World Cup champion has hardly been sidelined in the long run.
However, being ruled out for four months will cause Kante to miss up to 25 matches between August 14 and the beginning of February.
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The latest development comes at a time when Kante’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Chelsea must now reconsider allowing one of their star players to go as a free agent.
Much will depend on Kante’s ability to get through the next three months of the season, as well as the offers he will certainly receive from foreign clubs at the end of the year.
Kante is the second Chelsea player to be ruled out of the World Cup in three days, after the report that Reece James will miss eight weeks with a knee injury.
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