The sight of N'Golo Kante walking gingerly off the Stamford Bridge pitch had become all too familiar for Chelsea supporters. But the frustration and disappointment were never diminished. The only question was how long would it be this time? Not even the most pessimistic of fans would have predicted seven months.
Much has changed at Chelsea in that time – and in the wider football world. Thomas Tuchel has gone. Graham Potter has arrived. A World Cup has been held and the tournament subsequently expanded. The Blues have struggled desperately in the Premier League. A place in the Champions League quarter-finals has been secured.
All the while Kante has been undertaking a drawn-out recovery after undergoing hamstring surgery in October. Much of the unseen work, the tedious rehabilitation sessions, was undertaken at Cobham. Only in early January did the 31-year-old take his first steps back out on the grass at Chelsea's training centre – and they were tentative at best.
