Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte Says N'Golo Kante Is Ready to Return from Injury

Gianni VerschuerenOct 26, 2017

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has provided an injury update on star midfielder N'Golo Kante, telling reporters the France international is ready to return to the team after picking up a hamstring injury on October 7.

Andrew Dillon in The Sun previously reported the former Leicester City man could miss the rest of October, but if Kante plays this weekend, he would have returned slightly ahead of schedule.

Rob Guest of football.london shared Conte's comments, which were made after the 2-1 win over Everton in the Carabao Cup:

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"He's progressing well. I saw him in a good physical condition. At this moment we have to find the strength to keep calm and find the right moment to put him in the team. It will be very easy now to tell him to play. We have to find the best solution for him. He's ready."

Chelsea's Italian head coach Antonio Conte reacts after Chelsea scored their second goal during the English League Cup fourth round football match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge in London on October 25, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Glyn KIRK / REST

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He also provided an update on Danny Drinkwater's condition:

"We will have three games before the international break and to see him fit 100 per cent may be after the international break. I can count him in games now. If I decide to play with three midfielders, it's very important."

Kante's injury coincided with a downturn in form for the Blues, who lost against Crystal Palace days after he suffered the setback and also dropped points in the UEFA Champions League against AS Roma.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: N'Golo Kante of Chelsea flies over the top of Raheem Sterling of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on September 30, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by M

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Chelsea will face Bournemouth next, before travelling to Rome on Tuesday and hosting Manchester United in the Premier League on November 5. Having Kante in the team for one of those fixtures would be huge for the Blues.

The PFA Players' Player of the Year played a crucial role in last year's title run, as well as Leicester's unexpected Premier League triumph the year before.

It's no coincidence Chelsea haven't kept a clean sheet since he went down with injury, and his return will be a major boost for the Blues.

Picking the right moment to reintroduce Kante into the starting XI will be key―another setback as a result of rushing him back would be disastrous, given the matches on the horizon for the club.