Chelsea Star Withdraws From National Squad After Injury Setback

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has withdrawn from the France squad ahead of their clash against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.

The 31-year-old suffered an injury-hit season with Chelsea and has faced another setback, at the end of the campaign.

The French national team provided an update to confirm that the Chelsea midfielder will miss the final Nations League clash through injury on Monday night.

Kante will now have the summer to recover from his injury, with one year left on his Chelsea contract, before reporting back to Cobham for pre-season.

Thomas Tuchel will be worried to see the latest injury concerns, previously discussing Kante’s importance and admitting that he is concerned about his frequent injuries.

Speaking previously, the German said: "This is huge for us to solve it (Kante’s injuries). I don't play him but it's a fact we miss him a lot and he brings something unique in world football. He can lift everybody up and make the difference.

"He can make the difference but he can only make the difference on the pitch and at the top level, this is our target for him. He is one of the very best midfielders in the world.

"Because he is not in the spotlight, he is even more important of the team. He has the mentality of a water carrier and this makes the difference. Big teams need this. It's why everyone loves to play with him."

Kante has seen Manchester United interested in securing his signature ahead of next season, believing that he is the perfect profile to build Erik ten Hag’s midfield around.

However, the Red Devils are concerned about Kante’s injury issues as he made 42 appearances out of a potential 66 for Chelsea last season.

The 31-year-old was previously left out of Didier Deschamps’ squad to face Croatia on 6 June, although the reason differed.

Kante missed out against Croatia last week after being the player in their 24-man camp to be excluded from the 23-man matchday squad, with it being reported that it was not due to injury.

It is unclear as to the length of Kante’s knee injury, with the summer upcoming as Kante will look to head on holiday and relax after an intense season before returning to Chelsea for pre-season.

The midfielder will also be hoping to sort out his future, with under a year left on his Chelsea contract as he prepares for the new season.