Kante reluctant to return
Chelsea accept they might not see apprehensive player with their squad this season
Frank Lampard will hold more talks with N’golo Kante after Premier League clubs voted to move to phase two of restricted contact training. Chelsea last week granted Kante compassionate leave to miss phase one of non-contact training, over the midfielder’s concerns regarding the safety of a return to playing during the coronavirus crisis. Kante returned for the first day of phase one training, but has since been keeping fit at home, with the full blessing of manager Lampard and the club.
No date has been put on his return and Chelsea will not apply any pressure for him to train, even if it means he has to miss the rest of the season.
But Lampard is keeping in touch with Kante and will now feed back exactly what the move to restricted contact training means and the protocols around it, so the World Cup winner can decide for himself whether or not to make a return. Lampard was part of this week’s managers’ meeting with the Premier League over the phase two protocols, and captain Cesar Azpilicueta took part in the players’ call.
Kante is believed to want greater medical assurances over his safety before he returns and the increased science behind the move to phase two may provide him with some encouragement.
Despite not training at the club, Kante has been reporting for his coronavirus testing, which means he would be able to return to contact
He tested negative for Covid-19, but he had a bad time of it during quarantine with symptoms of the virus that gave him that fear. Chelsea’s Willie Caballero understands N’golo Kante’s hesitancy
sessions at any point he may decide.
The situation is viewed as particularly sensitive, as Kante’s brother Niama died from a heart attack before the 2018 World Cup and he lost his father when he was aged just 11.
Kante himself collapsed in front of his teammates after training two years ago. He was given a clean bill of health after tests then, but teammate Willy Caballero revealed that the 29-year-old had been worried about his health during lockdown.
“He tested negative for Covid-19, but he had a bad time of it during quarantine with symptoms of the virus that gave him that fear,” Caballero said. “We respect him and we’ll wait until he feels comfortable, because the truth is that to do what we’re doing you have to feel okay and be confident.”— Telegraph Group UK