Injuries have rocked the French and the British squad. N’Golo Kante of France will not play in the World Cup in Qatar because of a three-month injury recovery period, according to sources who spoke to ESPN.
Given the pivotal role, the 31-year-old midfielder played in his nation’s 2018 World Cup victory, Didier Deschamps, the manager of France, is deeply disappointed to learn that the Chelsea player is dealing with a major hamstring injury.
Graham Potter, the manager of Chelsea, must also deal with Kante’s absence because, according to sources, his team won’t have the midfielder until mid-January. Kante already missed the majority of the season after being replaced 84 minutes into his team’s 2-2 tie with Tottenham Hotspur in August due to injury.
Potter stated at a news conference earlier on Friday that Kante would be seeing a consultant this weekend as a result of his most recent setback.
Potter said in a recent statement: “It’s a setback at this stage of this rehab, which is worrying, but all we can do is get the right diagnosis, get the right consultation and try and help him get back to full fitness and enjoying his football.”
Since joining Chelsea from Leicester City in 2016, Kante has made 262 appearances, but he has missed significant amounts of time due to injuries. Deschamps is particularly concerned about Paul Pogba, a midfielder for Juventus who is still healing from knee surgery.
Therefore, France may begin their World Cup defense against Australia on November 21 without two crucial midfielders who were instrumental in their victory at the previous World Cup.
On the other hand, England has issues of their own, which will surely rock their defensive line-up. Reece James insisted that despite Chelsea’s confirmation that he will miss up to eight weeks with a knee injury, he has not given up hope of reaching England’s World Cup squad. James, 22, had the issue during the second half of Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League triumph against AC Milan, and he was removed after seeking on-field medical attention.
James won’t need surgery right now, according to sources speaking to ESPN, but Chelsea said in a statement on Saturday that Reece had received treatment from the Chelsea medical staff and had seen a specialist this weekend after suffering a knee injury during our away game against AC Milan.
Chelsea’s medical department has stated: “After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation program and is expected to be out for eight weeks.”
Gareth Southgate, the manager of England, would have to take a big risk on the player’s fitness to include him in his 26-man squad because James is not anticipated to feature for Chelsea again before the tournament.
The situation is a major setback for Southgate, who is already concerned about the availability of Kyle Walker of Manchester City following a groin operation while Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool is out with an ankle injury.
England faces Iran in the opening match of their group stage on November 21, the first day of the World Cup.
James, who has also suited up for Chelsea in a back three, will be out from crucial contests for the London team, which has nine more games left before the World Cup, beginning with Sunday’s league trip to Aston Villa.
Before the season is interrupted for the World Cup and resumes in late December when Chelsea visits Bournemouth on Boxing Day, James will miss crucial Premier League matches against Manchester United and Arsenal as well as Manchester City in the League Cup.
