Frank Lampard gives positive N'Golo Kante injury update ahead of Manchester United

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is hopeful that N'Golo Kante is going to be fit in time for their Premier League opener against Manchester United in two weeks' time.

The Blues get their campaign off and running at Old Trafford on August 11, however Kante has not played any part of their pre-season this summer as he continues to recover from a knee injury.

The 28-year-old suffered it before the Europa League final back in May, however played in the match in Baku and had appeared to have come through the worst of it.

But the World Cup winner has not played a single minute of action over the course of July, being flown home early from Japan so that he could undergo more treatment back at Cobham.

And while Kante hasn't featured in matches, he has taken part in some training and Lampard is hoping to have him back for the full training next week.

"Yeah I am hopeful." Lampard said after the 4-3 win over Reading. "He is training. He has dipped into training with us in the last couple of days.

"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.

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"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."

However, Lampard is not sure exactly yet if he is going to throw Kante straight into the starting XI against the Red Devils.

"That one I will have to assess next week, and see how it is," Lampard added. "A natural base of fitness yes, but there is also 50 to 60 odd games coming this season so I have to make sure I make the right call on that because the players here have been training very hard.

"So if he is training at the start of next week then it is purely for me and the staff to assess where he is at.

"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."