N'Golo Kante has been on the decline at Chelsea. (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Evening Standard, N’Golo Kante is included in the 25-man Chelsea squad for mid-season training despite not coming back to full fitness in the next two months.
Graham Potter has also included 12 academy players as they and the non-World Cup-bound players prepare themselves for the second half of this season.
The Blues are missing 11 players from the squad, some of which are still in the World Cup, and the others who got knocked out are having their time off.
Kai Havertz, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Christian Pulisic are no longer part of the tournament but have gotten time off to enjoy the holidays with their families.
The trio of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana, who missed a chance to feature in the World Cup due to injuries, have been named in the squad and are doing well in their recoveries.
Kante, on the other hand, has been out of action since the second week of Premier League action when he picked up a hamstring injury against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Frenchman missed the World Cup as he had to undergo hamstring surgery. He is still two months away from returning to action on the field.
Chelsea play Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi at the Al Nahyan Stadium on Sunday (December 11). Their next competitive assignment is in the Premier League at home against Stamford Bridge on December 27.
We are currently eighth in the league table. So, a winning start to resume the season would be great. For that to happen, this mid-season training camp could turn out to be crucial as it is the first time since getting appointed Potter has an extended period of time on the training pitch with his players.
Here’s the squad flying to the middle east:
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Eddie Beach, Bashir Humphreys, Alfie Gilchrist, Trevoh Chalobah, Dion Rankine, Josh Brooking, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Lewis Hall, Cesare Casadei, Charlie Webster, Ben Elliott, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Carney Chukwuemeka, Omari Hutchinson, Malik Mothersille, Mason Burstow, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Armando Broja.
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