Chelsea
head coach Frank Lampard has said that midfielder N’Golo Kante could make a
comeback from a knee injury ahead of the Premier League opener against
Manchester United next month. The France international has been sidelined with
a knee problem picked up at the backend of the previous campaign but Lampard
believes the midfielder is making good progress in terms of the recovery at the
club’s training base.
Speaking in
a press conference, Lampard confirmed that the World Cup winner has returned to
individual training and he could link up with his teammates in the next few
days, he said: “He is training. He has dipped into training with us in the last
couple of days. There is a lot more that he needs to do physically, off without
us that he can do without any contact which has been good but the signs are
good in the last three days that we have been back.”
When pressed further about a possible return date, Lampard hinted that he could make the comeback for the curtain raiser, although that depends on whether he is able to achieve peak fitness, he continued:“He is a top class player, so however much you want him in, at the same time you have to make sure he is as fit as he can be when he comes back.”
Under the
guidance of Lampard, the Blues have endured a mixed pre-season with victories
in three of their five matches. Nonetheless, there have been positives on the
attack front with six goals scored in the past two games against Barcelona and
Reading alone and Lampard will be hoping that the team can continue to shine in
the final third, where they don’t have the services of Eden Hazard
anymore. Chelsea have two games
remaining against Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Monchengladbach to conclude their
pre-season campaign.
