Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has confirmed star midfielder N'Golo Kanté is nearing a return following a protracted injury layoff.
Kanté has remained sidelined with a groin problem he picked up on international duty. However, Lampard was able to offer a positive note in the wake of the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United, claiming the Frenchman will soon return to first-team training.
"He’s hopefully training again in the next two or three days," confirmed Lampard, as quoted by Metro.
"He’s a top player. I would have liked to give Jorginho and Kovacic a rest tonight for what they’ve put in, for their physical output. But I couldn’t because N’Golo, Ross, Ruben…I couldn’t make those changes today and that what it is."
Frank Lampard says no team could have stopped Man United's winner, a stunning strike, but says our passing was too slow in the first half and we lacked clinical finishing in the second half.#CHEMUN
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 30, 2019
Meanwhile, the Blues' manager confessed there was no stopping Marcus Rashford's sublime winning goal for United on Wednesday night, as Chelsea were knocked out of the Carabao Cup 2-1 by the Red Devils.
Michy Batshuayi had clawed the Blues back into the game to cancel out Rashford's first-half penalty, but the England striker unleashed a monstrous 35-yard free-kick in the second period to ensure the Red Devils went into the hat for the quarter finals.
An exciting game at Stamford Bridge looked like heading for penalties until the United number ten's intervention.
STUNNER! @MarcusRashford fires @ManUtd ahead at Stamford Bridge
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2019
Watch Chelsea v Man Utd live on Sky Sports Main Event pic.twitter.com/949C4eAVRk
"Well, the second goal doesn't even come into the equation," Lampard said post-match, as quoted by Manchester Evening News.
"That is just a bolt out of the blue. No team can stop that. I think in terms of where we weren't at our best, we were a little slow with our passing in the first-half. It's great technique. We've seen Marcus Rashford hit balls with a similar technique. Whoever you are in the world they don't always go into the top corner."
Source : 90min