Graham Potter has revealed that N'Golo Kante has suffered an injury setback, which has forced him out of the travelling Chelsea squad to face AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday evening.
The French midfielder has been left behind with both Hakim Ziyech and Wesley Fofana, who both have their own injury troubles too.
Kante has played just twice for The Blues so far this season, with both of those appearances coming at the beginning of the Premier League campaign.
Advert
Potter admitted in his latest pre-match press conference that Chelsea's no.7 suffered a reaction to the muscular injury that has kept him out in recent games.
He was unable to disguise his dejection at the situation, with the former Brighton boss yet to have the chance to play Kante in the middle of the park after replacing Thomas Tuchel at the beginning of September.
"Hakim [Ziyech] is ill, N'Golo [Kante] we're just waiting for the news of that," he began.
Advert
"It is certainly not ideal so we will have to wait and see the extent of it and go from there.
"It's not ideal and it is disappointing for him and for us. We'll have to see the extent of it and go from there."
In terms of facing Milan, however, Potter explained how possible rotation in the team could be vital for The Blues in their efforts for another three points against the Italian side.
"Everyone is available apart from the guys we've mentioned," Potter added. The fact we could rotate a few has probably helped us in terms of availability for this game and, hopefully, a bit of freshness because we're going to need that."
Meanwhile, Thiago Silva was in agreement with his manager about the situation with his French teammate.
Advert
The defender believes that Kante's injury is a loss for his team and stressed the importance of the midfielder for the Stamford Bridge club.
"It's not easy for a player like N'Golo to have an injury at an important time of the season," Silva explained.
"I am very happy to have had the chance to meet and play with him.
"He is a special person, very unique. With Kante, we are much stronger."
Advert
Whilst Kante is not available for the trip to the San Siro, Silva has returned following his absence from the squad that beat Wolves 3-0 on the weekend.
"After the game against Crystal Palace, I got a cold and had to recover," he said. "I am not recovered 100%. I spoke with the manager and he took the decision to let me rest a little ahead of this important match."
Topics: Chelsea, Graham Potter, NGolo Kante, Thiago Silva, Champions League, AC Milan, Football
Cain Smith