Chelsea boss Lampard calls for injury-troubled Kante to be left out of France squad

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has called for Didier Deschamps to leave N’Golo Kante out of his next France squad to give the midfielder an extended period of rest.

Kante started the new campaign on the bench against Manchester United due to a knee injury carried over from last season, but has made three appearances for Lampard so far.

What’s wrong with Kante? Five things to know…

• Kante missed Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Norwich City.
• The Frenchman finally succumbed to an ankle injury picked up against Manchester United.
• Kante has also only recently returned from a knee injury which saw him miss most of Chelsea’s pre-season.
• Lampard has called on Deschamps to leave Kante out of his next France squad.
• Les Bleus face Andorra and Albania in Euro 2020 qualifiers next month.

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However, the Frenchman missed Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Norwich City on Saturday due to a sprained ankle he picked up in a cameo at Old Trafford three games ago.

And Lampard has called on Les Bleus manager Deschamps, another former Chelsea midfielder, to allow Kante to stay with the Blues in a bid to return to full fitness when he names his next France squad.

“It is a difficult one. He has had four years of constantly playing,” Lampard said.

“[The] injury from the Europa League final has affected his pre-season. Then he hurt himself against Man United.

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“We are trying to get him through it. Today [vs Norwich] was too painful. The international break will be great for him to get the injury right. It would be great for everybody [if Kante stays] because he’s been playing game after game after game.”

France face Albania and Andorra in Euro 2020 qualifiers next month as the reigning world champions look to keep their space at the top of Group H.

Kante’s role under Lampard

One of the biggest talking points surrounding Chelsea last season was Maurizio Sarri’s use of Kante in a more advanced position.

Under Lampard, Kante has somewhat reverted to a more defensive role when on the pitch, starting as part of a two-man base in a 4-2-3-1, but the Frenchman’s style of play is very much the same as with Sarri.

In his few appearances so far, Kante has already shown his abilities up and down the pitch, putting in a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool in the Uefa Super Cup despite playing 120 minutes with an ankle injury.