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Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante’s injury woes continue as he is set to miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Graham Potter, Chelsea's coach, had alluded to Kante’s injury being a crucial issue for the team and described the Frenchman’s latest setback as “not being good news”.
The 31-year-old midfielder suffered a serious hamstring injury during the thrilling Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspurs on 14 August 2022. The news comes as a massive hit for France manager Didier Deschamps as the 31-year-old was crucial in his country's 2018 World Cup win.
Talking about Kante’s injury situation, Potter stated that he doesn’t have a proper timeline for Kante’s return. "It's a setback so it's not good news, but anything other than that at this stage, I can't give you anything more," Potter said.
“Historically, there are things which have happened which is a concern, so we need to get to the bottom of that. It's a setback at this stage of this rehab, which is worrying, but all we can do is get the right diagnosis, get the right consultation and try and help him get back to full fitness and enjoying his football."
The hamstring injury has kept the former Leicester City star out of action over the last 13 games for the London club amounting to an absence of 62 days. Just before stuffing this injury, Kante was dealing with knee problems in June 2022. The hamstring issue has been tailing the former World Cup winner throughout his career in the Premier League.
Addressing the World Cup, Deschamps and the French team is also dealing with the fitness concerns of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, who is gradually recovering from meniscus surgery. This means France will kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia on 21 November without the midfield core that helped them win the tournament four years ago.
