Thomas Tuchel says N’Golo Kante was taken off as a precaution in Chelsea’s crucial 2-1 victory over Leicester on Tuesday and ‘hopes’ he isn’t injured.
The World Cup champion Frenchman was replaced after 32 minutes, with the scores level at 0-0.
Mateo Kovacic replaced him after suffering a hamstring injury on April 10.
Antonio Rudiger bundled in from Ben Chilwell’s deflected corner before Jorginho put the Blues 2-0 up from the penalty spot.
The third-placed team earned a tense finish at Stamford Bridge as Kelechi Iheanacho netted back to level, but Tuchel’s men clinched on to exact revenge from last weekend’s defeat.
The result means Chelsea have now moved above Leicester into third place with just one match against Aston Villa on the final day of the season on Sunday to play.
On May 29, the Blues will play Manchester City in the Champions League final in an attempt to confirm their place in the top four.
And Tuchel provided an update on the talismanic Kante ahead of those season-defining games.
After the game, the German manager said: ‘I hope N’Golo is not injured.’
He told me he went out before an injury. He felt his hamstrings, he was worried that he’d get injured if he continued to play.
I was glad we put out Kova Kovacic, although it was a huge risk. It was an important game, so we took the risk.
Hopefully, NG Kante will return, we are a different team with him.
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