There are reports that N’Golo Kante was granted compassionate leave to miss the second day of Chelsea’s phase one return to training because of the midfielder’s fears regarding the Premier League restart.
Callum Hudson-Odoi also missed Wednesday’s training session and may be off for a few days after falling ill.
His condition, according to the Telegraph, is not related to coronavirus or his arrest last weekend and he has been prescribed a course of medication.
World Cup-winner Kante returned for restricted group training with the rest of the squad at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Tuesday after registering a negative coronavirus test.
But Kante is understood to hold concerns over the safety of a return to training while the nation remains in lockdown during the global coronavirus pandemic and was allowed to miss Wednesday’s session with the full consent of head coach Frank Lampard and the club.
Kante’s older brother Niama died of a heart attack shortly before the 2018 World Cup and the midfielder lost his father when he was just 11 years old.
In March 2018, Kante himself suffered a health scare when he passed out in front of terrified team-mates in the dressing room at Chelsea’s training ground. Cardiology tests did not reveal any heart issue, but he missed the next game against Manchester City.
Lampard and the Chelsea board are understanding of Kante’s feelings and allowed him to train on his own at home on Wednesday. It is unclear when he will return, but the club are giving him all the support they can and have made the training ground as safe as possible.
Despite being rated as one of the best midfielders in the world, Kante is a shy and reserved character who lives a private life and is extremely close to his family.
While some footballers have broken lockdown guidelines and pushed the rules to the limit, Kante is understood to have largely remained indoors with one of his brothers since the suspension of the Premier League.
News of Kante’s concerns comes less than a week after Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham revealed that his father Anthony has asthma.
Photo Credit: Twitter/ChelseaFC