Chelsea may not have been able to end their pre-season campaign with a win over Borussia Mochengladbach, but something far more significant happened.
N’Golo Kante, who had not played a minute of football since the Europa League final, was introduced as a substitute late in the contest, marking his return from injury.
N'Golo has now come on for Pedro!
2-1 [72'] #BMGCHE pic.twitter.com/RkADq9bLSL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 3, 2019
Lampard had been hesitant to risk Kante earlier in our pre-season tour, but he appears to now be confident that the Frenchman is in good enough condition to be involved.
It still looks unlikely that Kante will be in good enough condition to play from the beginning against Manchester United in our opening fixture.
However, his return to the field is a clear indication that he will not be missing a great deal in the busy schedule that lies ahead for Lampard and Chelsea.
Welcome back, N’Golo. If our defending in pre-season is anything to go by, we really need you up to speed at the earliest possible opportunity.
