Chelsea
boss Frank Lampard has criticised France manager Didier Deschamps after
midfielder N'Golo Kante returned from international duty with an injury.
Kante, who has featured in only four of Chelsea's eight Premier League games
during an injury-hit start to the season, hurt his groin during the warm-up
for France's Euro 2020 qualifier against Iceland last Friday and was removed
from the starting lineup.
Deschamps opted to keep the 28-year-old with the French squad for the
remainder of the international break, a decision that irked Lampard, who had
recently engaged in a "light-hearted" back-and-forth with the France boss
over striker Olivier Giroud's lack of game-time at Stamford Bridge.
"After the first game when he pulled out he then had a fitness test the day
before the second game, it was clear that he couldn't play," Lampard said
after ruling Kante out of Chelsea's game against Newcastle on Saturday.
"He then sat on the bench on the evening of the game, so that's not
communication, so it's not such a laughing matter."
"It's more for Kante himself because he's not an inexperienced player, he's
been around the block, he's won World Cups, he's been a fantastic player so
I think that could have been handled better for sure.
"Our doctors were speaking and there were some times when things weren't
coming back to us as I'd expect them to come back. That's what I mean about
communication.
"I understand when players are on international duty that they're their
players as such, but it was quite clear he wasn't fit to play so from our
point of view we would have wanted him back to work on him."
Lampard confirmed that Chelsea will also be without defenders Andreas
Christensen and Antonio Rudiger for the visit of Newcastle, but midfielders
Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley are available.
Before the international break Chelsea recorded back-to-back Premier League
victories for the first time under Lampard's management to climb to fifth in
the table, just two points behind second-placed Manchester City.
top