Why Chelsea's N'Golo Kante has left the France squad ahead of Croatia Nations League clash

N'Golo Kante has departed France's squad after picking up a knee injury ahead of France's final game of the international schedule against Croatia. The 31-year-old suffers from knee pain and has not featured in his nation's previous two matches.

Kante completed 90 minutes in France's opening Nations League defeat to Denmark but has been missing from the squad for draws against Croatia and Austria. Didier Deschamp's side face Croatia once again on Monday but will do so with Kante and Lucas Hernandez.

A statement from the French Football Federation read: "Embarrassed by knee pain, N'Golo Kanté (our photo) left the rally this Saturday morning. The Chelsea midfielder would not have been able to play Monday against Croatia at the Stade de France."

Kante missed four Premier League matches and a Champions League outing against Zenit Saint Petersburg earlier this season with a knee issue and has struggled to maintain full fitness over the course of 2021/22 after a hectic season helping Chelsea lift the Champions League before heading to EURO 2020. The Frenchman struggled to find his best form leaving some frustration for Thomas Tuchel because he could not use his 'key player' more frequently.

Following Chelsea's match against Leicester, Tuchel said: "It's important for him to be there and to have the rhythm. I think he played ok, but he can play so much better. But when was his last game he started? It was weeks ago. So he constantly starts getting the rhythm, but once he has that, comes a little injury, and he's out again.

"Last year, in the last five matches of the Champions League, he got the [man-of-the-match] trophy. I mean, they almost handed him the trophy before the match. It was like this. This guy who gets man of the