N'Golo Kante Set for Late Fitness Test Ahead of UEL Final After Knee Injury

Chelsea are sweating on N'Golo Kante's fitness ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final after he suffered a knee injury in training on Saturday. 

The Blues will assess his fitness shortly before the showpiece with Arsenal, per Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard:

Per Johnson, a scan allayed fears the midfielder had suffered ligament damage, but the club are unsure if he'll be able to feature.

With Ruben Loftus-Cheek also out, manager Maurizio Sarri will likely deploy a midfield trio of Jorginho, Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic if Kante is unavailable.

Kante had been recovering from a hamstring injury suffered against Watford on May 5, which saw him withdrawn from that match after just 10 minutes.

Mail Sport's Charlie Skillen is hoping Kante is able to feature:

ESPN FC's Liam Twomey considers the 28-year-old to be one of the Blues' top performers:

Aside from Eden Hazard, Kante is perhaps the team's most influential player.

His boundless energy, work ethic and ball-winning abilities are unrivalled in the Blues' squad.

If he's fit, Arsenal will have a much more difficult time playing through the middle of the park as a result of those qualities.

Should he fail to pass the fitness test, it will be a significant boost for the Gunners' chances, and Kovacic and Barkley will need to do their best to mitigate his absence.