Chelsea Handed N'Golo Kante Boost After Concerns Over Reoccuring Knee Injury in Pre-Season

Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kanté is back in full training just days after he was sent home from the club's pre-season tour in Asia following concerns over a reoccurring knee injury.

The 28-year-old almost missed Chelsea's Europa League final win over Arsenal due to a niggling problem in his knee, and manager Frank Lampard decided against risking another flair up by sending Kanté back to England earlier this week.

Despite concerns over his fitness, Chelsea showed that Kanté was back with his teammates on Friday and training with the rest of the squad, with football.london insisting that the midfielder wasn't undergoing a specialised programme to work on his knee.

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Lampard made the original decision to send Kanté back to Chelsea's base in west London over concerns that any extra travelling could damage his knee even further, with their Premier League opener against Manchester United just around the corner.

"I sent him home a few days ago," Lampard said earlier this week, quoted by The Express. "Even though I said how good the trip has been for someone who is in their rehab, I think it has been more beneficial for him to be at Cobham with the facilities we have there.

"He's improving and hopefully by the time we get back and start training towards the weekend, he will be in a position to pretty much join in with us.

"I don't like to get ahead of myself because he has not fully trained yet but the doctors are telling me it [should be fine]. "It wasn't being conservative with him, it was more to have him do the best possible work.

"I am hopeful he will be ready for the start of the season and maybe it's a [good] break for a player who has played so many games over the past few years at such a level in terms of output and energy."

Kanté's quick recovery could even see him involved with the first-team this weekend when they take on Reading in another pre-season friendly.