France's defence of the World Cup after Chelsea said on Tuesday that the midfielder will be out of action for four months following surgery on a hamstring injury. The 31-year-old had not featured since limping off against Tottenham in August. "N'Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury," Chelsea said in a statement. "The midfielder visited a specialist with the club's medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N'Golo to have surgery to repair the damage. "Following a successful operation, N'Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months."