According to Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been a huge miss for the Blues this season due to his struggles with injuries this season.
The 29-year-old has suffered ankle and muscle injuries, restricting him to 22 appearances so far this season.
“We had quite a few injuries going into the period when we finished playing,” stated Lampard.
“N’Golo Kante is a great example. Obviously he has played four or five incredible seasons in terms of his success as an individual. He has been used, quite rightly so, by his managers a lot. “This season he has played about 40 per cent of our games. Even then it’s been difficult for him. I’ve really felt for him on an individual level.
“He’s been a huge miss for us. Looking forward, and whenever a restart comes, we want to get him in his best shape. We want to get Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has missed the whole season, in his best shape.
“Recently we have tried to get those players who have had extra problems a bit fitter, and of course if and when we get a chance to get back to full training we can hopefully get them to where we want to be.
“We obviously need N’Golo Kante in our team, one of the best players in the world. I knew that before becoming manager of Chelsea, I know that from working with him. We unfortunately haven’t been able to have him much this year, but going forward we want him fit and ready to go.”