Antonio Conte could be without N’Golo Kante for up to seven games after he injured his hamstring while playing for France.
The initial prognosis said Kante needs rest for 20 to 25 days, but Conte is insisting on a second scan in the faint hope of better news.
The indispensable Kante is set to miss two Champions League ties with Roma — and the Premier League game against Manchester United on November 5 is a doubt. Only Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko are available as fit options for the two deep midfield slots.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte revealed that N’Golo Kante will be out for up to seven games
Kante suffered a hamstring injury on international duty with France and will miss three weeks
It’s a significant headache for the Italian, who has ordered a second scan in faint hope of a better prognosis for a player he rates as perhaps the most indispensable cog in his side.
The fear is that it will support the first scan, which suggested the injury he suffered on international duty with France will need 20 to 25 days to heal. The impact on Chelsea’s midfield will be substantial, with Danny Drinkwater still out with a calf problem.
Conte admitted the situation will almost certainly necessitate converting a defender into a midfielder to get through a congested schedule this month, with midfield duo Ethan Ampadu, 17, and Kyle Scott, 19, likely to be drafted into the squad in the shorter term for the trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Conte, who is also without Alvaro Morata, said: ‘We have bad news. For Kante, we are going to do a scan next week to check his situation, if he’s improving but for sure it’s a hamstring problem and this is a big loss for us because you know very well the importance of Kante in our team.
Conte will be without Kante for two upcoming Champions League clashes with Roma
Conte admitted they could be forced to call on 17-year-old talent Ethan Ampadu in midfield
‘We don’t have another player with the same characteristics. We are not lucky in this period because in midfield, now we have only Bakayoko and Fabregas available and we have to approach seven games in one month.
‘For this reason, in this period we have to find different solutions and to adapt some defenders in midfield or give the opportunity to young players like Scott and Ampadu to play from the start.
‘For sure it will be very difficult to play with Fabregas and Bakayoko for seven games in a row so we have to hope we have no injuries in these games.’
Alvaro Morata will also miss the Crystal Palace fixture with a minor hamstring complaint
Morata will miss the Palace fixture with a minor hamstring complaint and it will be intriguing to see if Conte finally places trust in Michy Batshuayi, who cost £33million in 2016 but has barely featured in the league.
While those issues bubble away, Conte has refuted claims that he is craving a return to Italy. Much of that uncertainty over his future has stemmed from his wife and daughter living back in their homeland, but Conte said that they have now relocated to Surrey.
He said: ‘For me to have my family with me is very important. Last season, honestly, I suffered a lot because when you arrive in a new country and you are alone it is not simple.
‘This season I am very happy because they are with me. Now it is worse for my family because last season they were very far and instead this season we are together and my wife and my daughter have to live the same feeling, if we win, we draw, we lose. It was better for them last season to only hear me through the phone but I am happy that they stay here with me.’