Chelsea star N’Golo Kanté withdrawn from France squad due to knee injury
The French Football Federation confirmed through their website (h/t Evening Standard) that Chelsea star N’Golo Kanté has suffered a knee injury during international duty.
After appearing against Denmark last weekend, N’Golo Kanté was left out of France’s matchday squad for the remaining two Nations League matches, and while this was first dismissed by manager Didier Deschamps as a case of squad rotation, it turns out that there was a more significant cause.
Kanté has withdrawn from the team owing to a knee injury. The nature of the injury is unknown, but given the circumstances, it’s likely that it’s not too significant.
“N’Golo Kanté has withdrawn from the squad due to knee pain.”
Unfortunately, Kanté’s career has been marred by injuries in recent years, including a month out earlier this season due to another knee issue. The French midfielder’s injury appears to have come at a worrying time for Chelsea since the preseason begins in a month.
The 31-year- old’s contract expires in a year, and he’s coming off one of his poorest seasons as a Chelsea player. If the scenario persists, Thomas Tuchel may be forced to make some difficult decisions, including his ambitions for a post-Kanté midfield.
Kante’s injury problems have worsened throughout the course of his Chelsea career, and they all appear to be linked to a serious hamstring rupture he suffered while on international duty with France at the start of his second season.
While he will always be among the greatest on his day, we have seen his performances be influenced more and more by the pauses between games this season, and there is a sense that the dynamic midfielder’s time at Chelsea is drawing to a close.
Several key Chelsea players have departed the club, notably Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen, while César Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, and Jorginho’s futures remain uncertain.
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Chelsea may not be able to cope with the loss of Kante so soon in such a predicament. The Blues would be prudent to retain him on board for at least one season until some of our key exiting players can be replaced.
Of course, his game time will have to be properly managed and with a FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year, Tuchel would be wise to stack his midfield where the former Leicester City star isn’t overworked.