Chelsea dealt a blow as club confirm Kante should 'be sidelined for four months'

Chelsea and France star N'Golo Kante will miss the World Cup after undergoing hamstring surgery which will see him out for four months.

The central midfielder picked up the injury in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in August. He underwent surgery after suffering a setback during rehabilitation.

A statement from Chelsea (via the club's website) read: "N'Golo Kante has undergone surgery for his hamstring injury.

"The midfielder visited a specialist in the club's medical service to explore options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed that N'Golo would undergo surgery to repair the damage .

"After a successful operation, N'Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months."

The decision to undergo surgery came after Chelsea boss Graham Potter, who has been unable to call on Kante since taking over at Stamford Bridge, admitted last week that there is had long-term concerns over the midfielder's fitness record - he has missed 57 games since the 2019 Europa League final.

"Historically, there are things that have happened that are concerning, and we need to get to the bottom of that," Potter said.

"It's a setback in the final stage of his rehab, so again it's worrying. But all we can do is get the right diagnosis, the right consultation, and then try to help him get back into shape and enjoy his football."

Kante, whose contract at Chelsea expires next summer, has 53 caps for France and was part of their World Cup-winning squad in 2018.

Potter said earlier this month that he was not thinking about Kante's ongoing contract situation.

“My goal at the moment is to help rehabilitate N'Golo in a way that he is available for us because when he is on the pitch he is a huge asset to us,” said Potter to reporters.

"The rest is between the club and him. My goal is to help him get in shape, to make him enjoy his football, because there are not many players in world football like NG .

"So the sooner he comes back for us, the better. So that's where I'll leave my attention."

Confirmation of Kante's diagnosis comes two days after Chelsea team-mate and England right-back Reece James was ruled out for up to eight weeks with a knee problem, meaning he is also at risk of miss the World Cup which will begin in Qatar on November 20.

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