Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante’s injury issues at Stamford Bridge have “been really sad to see” over the last couple of seasons, journalist Paul Brown has told GIVEMESPORT.
The 31-year-old hasn’t yet featured for Graham Potter, having been unavailable through injury since August.
Chelsea news – N’Golo Kante
Before Chelsea’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening, Potter revealed that he would not be rushing Kante back into action following a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined for the best part of seven months.
The experienced midfielder initially picked up the issue in the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in their second Premier League game of the season but eventually underwent surgery on the problem in October.
However, in more positive developments as Kante nears a return from injury, he also looks set to extend his current contract in west London after entering the final six months of his £290,000 per-week deal at the turn of the year.
And Brown hopes that Kante can get “back to a level of fitness” that allows the 5 foot 7 star to return to his best form.
What has Brown said about Chelsea and Kante?
Brown told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s been really sad to see that Kante has not been around much in the last few seasons.
“He was such an important part of the Chelsea team but he’s almost been forgotten over the last couple of years.
“You hope that he gets back to a level of fitness that lets him play consistently and back at the level that he was before he started getting these injuries.”
How has Kante performed during his time at Chelsea?
Kante has enjoyed an excellent career with Chelsea since his £30m arrival from Leicester City in the summer of 2016, having won six major trophies with the Blues, including a Premier League and Champions League title each.
The 53-cap France international has made 262 appearances for the west London giants, hitting the back of the net 13 times whilst providing 15 assists in that time.
It’s what he brings to the team besides goals and assists that make Kante stand out from the rest, as demonstrated by the fact he ranks in the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for progressive carries (3.75) and top 7% for blocks per 90 minutes (1.75) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Therefore, Chelsea and Potter will be hoping that Kante is fit to return to Premier League and Champions League action sooner rather than later, as they look to turn their season around in the latter stages of the campaign.
