Chelsea manager Graham Potter on making N’Golo Kante completely fit before playing him
Speaking to the media ahead of the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Graham Potter addressed the question regarding the availability issues of N’Golo Kante and wanting to make the player completely fit before he starts playing again.
Kante picked up a hamstring injury while playing against Tottenham Hotspur back in early August. At the time, it was understood that the Frenchman would be out for a while.
However, seeing the player back in training more than a week ago and still not ready to play first-team football must be frustrating for him, the team and the manager.
Here’s what Potter said regarding the frustration and dealing with the situation (h/t Football.London):
“[Kante] is doing more integration with the team but still not ready. It is what it is and now it’s about getting him back fit so he can sustain a period of play. When he’s back we have to make sure he’s back for good. No frustration just something we have to deal with.
I think it does. The welfare of the player is important. We want to make sure a player is ready and safe and able to play consistently.”
On August 26, former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel talked about Kante’s injury record, which hasn’t been good for some time now, and the club having to consider that when offering him a new deal. The player has entered the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
The 31-year-old missed 16 games last season due to different injuries, while he has already missed almost two months of action so far this season. Hamstring injury and knee problems have been common occurrences in his injury causes (Transfermarkt).
There is no doubt that Kante is an important player for Chelsea. He makes the team better whenever he plays. However, availability is possibly the biggest quality a player can offer. And the Frenchman has struggled to offer that for some time now.
More Chelsea News:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hopes he can put an end to the myth of the No. 9 curse at Chelsea
- Graham Potter hopes Wolves’ Diego Costa receives positive reception on Chelsea return
- Chelsea could make a move for Cristiano Ronaldo either in January or next summer
With games coming thick and fast and a World Cup to look forward to, both club and country managers would hope that the midfielder is back fit and playing regular football soon. For Chelsea, they need to think a few times before offering him a contract as elongated as he wants.