French star N’Golo Kante was barred from the World Cup on Tuesday after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury that won’t give him time to recover before next month’s tournament in Qatar.
Chelsea, Kante’s club in the English Premier League, said the midfielder will be absent for four months after undergoing surgery for the injury.
Kante has not played for Chelsea since 2-2 against Tottenham in the Premier League on 14 August.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter indicated last week that Kante had slipped in his recovery.
“The midfielder visited a specialist from the club’s medical department to explore his options for addressing his rehabilitation,” Chelsea said in a statement, “and it was mutually agreed that N’Golo would undergo a ‘ operation to repair the damage “.
“After a successful operation, we expect N’Golo to be out for four months,” he added.
Kante, considered one of the best midfielders, played a key role in winning the French title at the 2018 World Cup.
His absence is the latest blow to France trying to keep the title. His midfield mate Boubacar Kamara was sidelined with injury and Paul Pogba only returned to training on Tuesday after suffering a meniscus tear in early September.
