Chelsea will give N’Golo Kante as long as he needs before he’s comfortable to come back to the club and have accepted the midfielder may miss the rest of the campaign.
However, The Blues have granted France international compassionate leave after raising concerns about returning to training during the pandemic.
N’Golo is fearful of returning to training while the country stays in lockdown as there is a history of health problems in his family. Kante fainted two years ago in front of partners, and though results revealed no issues, he stays concerned. The 28-year-old midfielder’s brother died of a heart attack, while his father passed away at the age of 11.
The club have allowed the French midfielder to train from home, but he’s been at the London club’s training ground twice in the last week for Covid-19 tests. The World Cup winner has the club’s blessing to continue as he pleases and they fully understand his stance.
They have accepted that N’Golo may not be comfortable in returning by the end of the campaign, meaning he may not be available again until the 2020/21 season. That would be a blow for Chelsea’s top-four opportunities, but Frank Lampard sympathises with Kante’s position and is willing to end the campaign without him.
N’Golo’s position is changeable, and the Premier League’s announcement that the campaign will restart on June 17th could impact his thinking. The remainder of the campaign will be squeezed into a six-week window so that the season can be finished by August, though it’s unclear how cup tournaments will be completed.