Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kanté is “progressing really well” in his recovery after undergoing surgery on his hamstring last year, injury journalist Ben Dinnery has told GiveMeSport.
Graham Potter has so far been unable to use the services of the Blues star, with the Frenchman’s last appearance coming in a Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur in August.
Chelsea injury news – N’Golo Kanté
Back in October, it was revealed that Kanté had undergone surgery on a troublesome hamstring injury, ruling him out of France’s defence World Cup defence in Qatar the following month.
The 31-year-old has suffered from several injury issues since 2019, but his most recent setback has been the most significant he’s endured since his time in west London.
However, despite his absence on the pitch, journalist Rudy Galetti has recently told GiveMeSport that Chelsea are keen to extend Kante’s £290k-per-week contract, with the experienced midfielder now having five months remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge.
And Dinnery believes that the former Leicester City star has been “progressing really well” but a date cannot be set on his return due to the length of the lay-off as well as the Frenchman’s personal injury history.
What has Dinnery said about Chelsea and Kanté?
Dinnery told GiveMeSport: “He’s progressing really well. He has begun some work outdoors, although that’s all around that individualised training programme. These sorts of dates are never set in stone when we’re talking about long-term injuries, particularly given the fact there has been a long line of problems with N’Golo Kanté.”
How much of a boost will Kanté’s return be for Chelsea?
Kanté – who has previously been described as “unreal” by TV and radio presenter Abbie McCarthy – could provide Potter with a huge boost in the middle of the park on his return, especially following the club’s sale of Jorginho to Arsenal last month.
The Paris-born star has made 262 appearances since signing for the Blues in the summer of 2016, hitting the back of the net 13 times whilst providing 15 assists.
The £30m signing offers so much more than just goals and assists in the middle of the park, as shown by the fact he ranks in the top 2% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for progressive carries (3.64), the top 13% for blocks (1.65) and top 14% for tackles (2.81) and interceptions (1.58) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Therefore, it’s clear to see why Chelsea are eager for Kanté to sign a contract extension as the 5 foot 7 midfielder gets ever closer to a return to fitness.
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