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Cape Town - Chelsea have been dealt a blow as N’Golo Kante has been sent home from Japan after he suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.
The influential midfielder picked up the problem in the lead-up to the Europa League final against Arsenal, but it would appear he is still not fully over the issue, which will be a big concern for boss Frank Lampard ahead of the new season.
The Frenchman travelled to Japan with the rest of the Chelsea squad, and although he has taken part in some training sessions, he was left out of the latest one today and will now travel back to England to undergo further treatment.
Chelsea tweeted: "N’Golo Kante has travelled back to the UK to continue his rehabilitation for an injury connected to the knee problem he sustained at the end of last season."
Lampard was hoping he would have been able to feature in Tuesday’s clash with Barcelona, but now that he has been ruled out, all focus will be on making sure he is fit for the opening day of the season when the Blues take on Manchester United.
There was better news regarding Kepa Arrizabalaga and Tammy Abraham, who have recovered from the issues that had caused them to miss Friday’s friendly defeat against Kawasaki Frontale, and both trained today.
