France’s national team will have to travel to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar without Chelsea’s star midfielder N’Golo Kante. According to multiple reports, Kante recently experienced a setback in recovery from a hamstring injury and is now set to be out for at least three months.
The news represents a huge blow for France. Kante has been one of the nation’s most reliable players for years and a big part of the squad that won the World Cup in 2018. Midfield was a point of concern for France even before this, considering that Paul Pogba underwent a knee procedure in the summer and might not get back in time for the tournament.
Chelsea will also feel Kante’s absence, especially considering the club’s low margin of error as they look to stay in pursuit of a UEFA Champions League spot.
“It’s a setback, so it’s not good news but, anything other than that at this stage, I can’t give you anything more,” Chelsea’s head coach Graham Potter told reports on Friday. “Historically, there are things that have happened which is a concern, so we need to get to the bottom of that.”
The injuries have limited Kante to only two games with Chelsea in all competitions in 2022-23, and he hasn’t made a single appearance since mid-August. The 31-year-old has a total of 262 appearances for the London club and was part of the teams that won the Premier League in 2016–17 and UCL in 2020-21.
