Chelsea saw a disappointing end to their month of March after drawing 2-2 against Everton in their final game before the March international break. While the result is surely disheartening, the return of N’Golo Kante to the Chelsea match day squad was surely a sign of optimism.
The Frenchman last played a professional game back in August 2022, featuring against Tottenham in the Premier League. Since then, the Frenchman has been sidelined because of a hamstring injury. The midfielder underwent a surgery which ruled him out of the FIFA World Cup as well as most part of the Chelsea season.
Kante finally returned to the grass a few weeks back, doing light training. Kante continued to train, eventually training with the rest of the team before finally being fit to be named in the match day squad for the Everton game.
N’Golo Kante return plan set by Chelsea boss Graham Potter
Graham Potter has regularly chosen Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic in central midfield and the duo has forged a strong partnership. However, the return of Kante could see Fernandez get higher up the pitch. At some point in the season, a midfield partnership between Fernandez and Kante could be seen.
With the last international break of the season now starting, a number of Blues have left for national duty. Kante is expected to stay at Cobham and continue working on his fitness. Potter spoke to the media after the 2-2 draw against Everton and revealed Kante’s action plan.
"“N’Golo’s due to carry on training Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with potentially a game to give him some minutes. We’re still planning it but I think it will probably be internal. That will be good.We need to control it as much as we can and then I think we’ve got about four players [not on international duty], so it is what it is. We have to hope players come back injury free and that we use the break to refresh and prepare for a really hectic April.” (via football.london)"
Kante may not be immediately rushed into the starting team. He has been out of action for almost eight months and will lack match sharpness. The Frenchman will have to be eased into the team. If he does play well and doesn’t show any worrying signs in internal games, he could finally make an appearance in the game against Aston Villa.
Will N’Golo Kante feature against Aston Villa?