France National team head coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed midfield maestro N’Golo Kante has sustained a thigh injury.
The Chelsea midfielder limped off in the first stanza of France’s 1-0 victory over Bulgaria on Saturday night with what looked at the time to be like a tight hamstring.
The French tactician Deschamps has ruled out the midfielder for France’s must-win FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Belarus on Tuesday night.
But the Les Blues head coach, who will bring in Paris Saint-Germain star Adrien Rabiot as a replacement for the injured 26-year-old, is not sure how long the midfielder will be out of action for.
He confirmed while speaking to newsmen It’s a muscular injury behind Kante’s thigh.
“It is billed for Tuesday. {Ngolo} Kante and Adrien Rabiot pretty much switch places. You need to balance the team. {Ngolo} Kante has a very prominent role {to play}.
He further stated that Adrien Rabiot can play Kante’s defensive midfield role well, but said the output of N’Golo {Kante} may have destabilised the squad – though that does not take anything away from the incoming Adrien Rabiot.
Kante, who was prominent in the Blues English Premier League title win last campaign, and has started all-but a single of the Champions 10 matches across all competitions this season.
And the Blues will be keen to have the PFA Player of the Year fully fit for their trip to Crystal Palace next weekend, with striker Alvaro Morata and midfielder Danny Drinkwater out injured and defender David Luiz suspended.
