N’GOLO KANTE was cheered on by Chelsea team-mates Mason Mount and Thiago Silva as he made his first appearance in over seven months.
The French midfielder returned to the pitch on Friday for the first time since injuring his hamstring against Tottenham in a friendly with Charlton’s Under-21s.
World Cup winner Kante played 60 minutes of the behind-closed-doors match at the Blues’ Cobham training ground.
And the beloved midfielder was cheered on by Mount and Silva – who showed their support on the sidelines.
England international Mount even donned a Kante shirt as he watched the France international make his long-awaited return to the pitch.
Silva didn’t go quite as far as Mount with his support but was a keen observer from the stands.
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Mount and Silva watched Chelsea’s young guns register a 3-0 win over their Charlton counterparts.
Goals from Dion Rankine, Silko Thomas and Malik Mothersille fired the junior Blues and Kante to victory.
Kante’s return to fitness will be a welcome boost for under-pressure Blues boss Graham Potter.
The 47-year-old said of the midfielder last week: “Managers before me have spoken very highly of N’Golo because he’s a top, top player.
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“He’s been a huge miss for us. Great for us for him to be back. We have to be mindful.
“We have to take the steps to get him back up to speed.”
Earlier this month, Potter said of the former Leicester City man: “It’ll be a case of how we get him back up to speed to play Premier League or Champions League football.
“He won’t be able to go back in for 90 minutes any time soon but the fact he is with us is exciting.”
Chelsea will be back in action a week on Saturday, welcoming Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
