Chelsea, rivals of Real Madrid, have regained a key player

After eight months in dry dock, N’Golo Kante He is ready to return to the pitch. The French midfielder, who suffered a hamstring injury in August, will get some minutes in this Saturday’s match astonville on his return to competition.

The 32-year-old Paris international has not played for Chelsea since August 14, 2022 when he played 85 minutes against them Tottenham Hotspur. He suffered a hamstring injury which became more complicated and prevented him from returning to normal training and enjoying his final year of contract with the Stamford Bridge team.

It wasn’t until two weeks ago that he fielded his first call in nearly eight months. Kante He was on the bench in the match against Everton and did not play a minute, but now, at the weekend, when he will dress again.

“We have to control his minutes and give him a rhythm in the Premier League,” he said on Friday Graham Potter at a press conference. “He is available, he is on the list and I’m sure he’ll play tomorrow at some point,” added the English coach, who is bringing back a world champion and an MVP for the final part of the season. Champions League.

It was exactly two years ago when Kanté gave a ‘masterclass’ against Real Madrid, contained whites and was chosen best player of the second leg, an honor he repeated in the final against City of Manchester.

Now, the Frenchman is back in time for the tie against those from Chamartín in the quarterfinals, although his inclusion in the starting eleven seems more complicated than before. the binomial Mateo Kovacic-Enzo Fernandez hard to break and spin Ruben Loftus-Cheek is ahead. The Frenchman will have to make up a lot of ground to gain a foothold in Potter’s scheme and become important again in the Champions League. Now, this weekend he will return after eight months against the astonville.