Deschamps and Lampard set for fresh fight over Chelsea star Kante’s fitness as France boss names him in squad
FRANCE boss Didier Deschamps and Frank Lampared are set for a fresh fight over N'Golo Kante’s fitness after the midfielder was named in the national squad.
Blues star Kante has missed the last seven games through an ankle injury picked up in August.
But Chelsea manager Lampard was furious when the 28-year-old was selected by Deschamps in the last international break.
However, with Kante back training with his club this week, and possibly returning against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the France manager insists there is no problem with selecting him for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
Deschamps said: "I haven't spoken to him. N'Golo Kante has taken time to recover, he was back in training last week, in their squad for the Champions League.
“He is back to full fitness. If a player is available for his club, it is normal that they be part of this squad.
"When N'Golo Kante felt something in the warm-up ahead of the Iceland game, I decided not to risk him, but he wanted to play."
With Kante sidelined Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Jorginho have built a solid midfield combination that has seen them victorious five league games on the spin.
But playmaker Mount suffered an ankle injury in Chelsea’s thrilling 4-4 draw against Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday.
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But the 20-year-old, who was named in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad, was spotted back in training.
Mount will now go through a session with the physio before having a fitness test on Friday after undergoing scans on Wednesday.
Boss Frank Lampard played down the severity of the injury after the Ajax game, saying: “They’ve strapped his ankle and hopefully it’s relatively minor.”
