N'Golo Kante has returned to Chelsea training as the Blues' pre-season preparations continue. The French midfielder is the first of Thomas Tuchel's internationals to arrive at Cobham.
Chelsea's training got underway over the weekend when 14 stars returned to the club's Surrey training base, while Thomas Tuchel made his return on Monday, accompanied by talented youngsters Lewis Hall, Mason Burstow, Charlie Webster and Harvey Vale. The latter won the UEFA under-19 Championship with England last week but wasted little time getting involved with the first team.
Kante's return will come as a boost to the Blues after the 31-year-old departed France's squad in the early part of June as the World Champions prepared for a Nations League clash against Croatia. The midfielder managed to play one of France's four fixtures during the international period as he completed 90 minutes in the defeat to Denmark before being absent from squads to face Croatia and Austria.
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Didier Deschamp's side faced Croatia a second time but Kante was released from the squad due to a knee injury. A statement from the French Football Federation read: "Embarrassed by knee pain, N'Golo Kanté left the rally this Saturday morning. The Chelsea midfielder would not have been able to play Monday against Croatia at the Stade de France."
Chelsea's stars who completed international fixtures are not expected back until the weekend for the USA training camp, with some believed to be heading directly to Los Angeles for the pre-season tour, rather than meeting at Cobham first. It seems a positive sign for Kante to already be present for training.
The former Leicester star could be seen walking out to the training pitches alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek on Tuesday. Kante was involved on the pitch, completing work with the ball and battling against the likes of Ross Barkley.
Kante struggled to make his presence felt across the 2021/22 season with his introduction delayed after Euro 2020 with France and an early knee issue kept the midfielder out of four Premier League matches and a Champions League outing against Zenit Saint Petersburg. The Frenchman, who has 12 months remaining on his contract, struggled for momentum over the course of the term, leaving Tuchel frustrated.
Following Chelsea's match against Leicester, Tuchel said: "It's important for him to be there and to have the rhythm. I think he played ok, but he can play so much better. But when was his last game he started? It was weeks ago. So he constantly starts getting the rhythm, but once he has that, comes a little injury, and he's out again.
"Last year, in the last five matches of the Champions League, he got the [man-of-the-match] trophy. I mean, they almost handed him the trophy before the match. It was like this. This guy who gets man of the match in every Champions League game, he is only here for 40-something per cent of the matches. This is huge for us.
"We do everything to solve it. Of course, he as well. I don't blame him, it is just a concern and a fact that we miss him a lot because he brings something that is unique in world football, and he has that ability to lift everybody up and make that difference. This is the challenge for him and for us."
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