STANDARD
N’Golo Kante could make his first appearance since the second week of the season when Chelsea host Everton on Saturday.
The midfielder has been out of action since August with a hamstring injury, but Blues boss Graham Potter has confirmed that he may rejoin the squad this weekend.
Potter admitted Kante has been a “huge miss” for Chelsea and they have struggled in his absence. The Blues are currently sat 10th in the Premier League and 11 points off the Champions League places, albeit with a game in hand.
But asked if Kante could feature against Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Potter said: “[He has a] chance of being in the squad. It’s the first time, so it’s fantastic, great.
“There will be managers before me that have spoken very highly of N’Golo because he is a top, top player.
“He is a huge miss to us. He has been a huge miss to us. That’s not to say the other players haven’t given absolutely everything, because they have.
“But N’Golo Kante is N’Golo Kante. He is a top player. So it’s great for us that he’s back. We need to be mindful of the fact that he’s had a long injury.
“We need to make the next steps to get him up to speed properly in the Premier League, which is what we will do, but it’s great to have him with us.”
Kante’s return for Chelsea now would be ideal timing as it would give him a chance to get fully fit ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals next month.
