(Football news) N'Golo Kante, who was widely considered one of the best midfielders in the world has been struggling with injuries for the past two seasons. The Frenchman has played only 174 minutes in 2 games this season. Kante picked up an injury in the infamous 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, just when he was about to reach full fitness. The injury is a big blow for the player who is likely to miss the World Cup in Qatar. It is not catastrophic for Chelsea as they have been playing without Kante a lot but for France it is a massive problem. 

Kante has been a pivotal player for Didier Deschamps's France team. He doesn't have any direct replacement in the side but the good news for Deschamps is that Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni has been in great form and is definitely capable of playing CDM. Paul Pogba is also unlikely to be available for the World Cup as he hasn't played any football this season. Deschamps made it pretty clear in the previous international break that he will not take unfit players to Qatar which means that France will have a new and different midfield at the World Cup. The injuries to Pogba and Kante significantly dent France's chances in Qatar. The other problem is that star striker Karim Benzema is out of form and hasn't been firing this season.

Kante's speciality as a player is that he covers a lot of ground. His style of play is something which isn't easy to do for a long time hence injuries were bound to happen. The Frenchman is already 31 years of age and persistent injury problems are a huge concern for his career. Both Kante and Chelsea will be hoping that this is the last injury problem that Kante faces. Chelsea have a good set of midfielders but none of them are like Kante. At this moment in time it is unclear as to when Kante will be able to take the field but it is likely to be in January.

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