France boss Didier Deschamps has played down fears of serious injury after Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante pulled up during a warm-up on international duty. Kante was forced to pull out of France’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Iceland on Friday evening after tweaking his abductor muscle in the warm-up, sparking concerns he could face a long spell on the sidelines.
However, Deschamps insists the defensive midfielder’s issue is not serious although he refused to reveal whether the Chelsea star would be fit enough to face Turkey on Monday in another crucial qualifier. “I made the decision [to pull him from the squad], because maybe it could get even worse,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
“I do not think it’s too serious for Kante, but I do not have an answer about whether he’ll play against Turkey.”
Kante’s latest injury will be of concern to Blues boss Frank Lampard, who asked Deschamps not to play the 28-year-old over the international break due to his stop-start season already.
This request did not go down well with Les Bleus’ chief, who had a slight dig at Lampard for not giving striker Olivier Giroud more opportunities.
Kante has been limited to just four Premier League appearances this term while he has only featured in one Champions League game, which was the 2-1 victory in Lille.
Lampard will be hoping the Frenchman can overcome his recent knock and help the Blues continue their assault on the top four of the Premier League.
Chelsea defeated Southampton 4-1 at St Mary’s prior to the international break, which extended their winning run in all competitions to four matches.
Lampard and co return to domestic action on October 19 when they welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge. The Blues have won the last two meetings against the Magpies 2-1, while the north-east outfit have failed to triumph at Chelsea since May 2012, when two Papiss Cisse goals claimed the spoils for the visitors.
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