Frank Lampard remains hopeful Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante will be fit for the season opener against Manchester United.
Kante left Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Japan earlier this month to return to London ahead of schedule to receive treatment for a knee injury.
The France international initially picked up the knock the week before last season’s Europa League final against Arsenal, playing the full 90 minutes as the Blues eased to a 4-1 victory.
Kante missed Sunday’s 4-3 friendly thriller against Reading with his manager hopeful he will return to full training in the coming days.
In Pictures | Reading vs Chelsea | 28/07/2019
“He is training. He has dipped into training with us in the last couple of days,” Lampard said.
“There is a lot more that he needs to do physically, off without us that he can do without any contact which has been good but the signs are good in the last three days that we have been back.
“It was certainly the right decision for him to come back here and get the treatment that he had. I expect him to be training through the week with us to the point that next week he should be fully training.”
Chelsea begin the new Premier League season at Old Trafford in Sunday with Lampard yet to make any decisions over Kante’s inclusion.
“That one I will have to assess next week, and see how it is." Lampard added: ‘He is a top class player, so however much you want him in, at the same time you have to make sure he is as fit as he can be when he comes back.”
