N’Golo Kante has allayed fears over his fitness by returning to training ahead of Chelsea’s game against Brighton.
Kante was substituted in the second half of the 3-1 win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day with what Thomas Tuchel described as a recurrence of the knee injury he suffered last month.
The midfielder was sidelined for a month after limping off against Juventus on November 23, and his withdrawal at Villa Park sparked concerns he could be set for another spell out.
But Kante joined the rest of the Chelsea squad in their final training session ahead of their game against Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
There was more good news for Tuchal as Kai Havertz returned to the training after illness.
Havertz has not featured since the 3-2 win over Leeds on December 11, with some of the intervening period spent in isolation.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have confirmed Ben Chilwell will undergo knee surgery, meaning the left-back is likely to miss the rest of the season.
In a statement, Chelsea said: “After a knee injury in the match against Juventus the Chelsea medical department, in collaboration with their knee specialist, took the decision to attempt a conservative rehab approach.
“Unfortunately Ben was unable to progress and so collectively the decision has been taken to proceed this week with a surgical repair.”
