Kante flies to Abu Dhabi with Chelsea squad.. but still faces three MONTHS out

N’GOLO KANTE has travelled to Abu Dhabi with his Chelsea team-mates… despite still facing three months out.

The Blues have brought a 25-man squad with them to the Middle East for warm weather training.

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Graham Potter’s side will face Aston Villa in a friendly match dubbed the “Al Wahda Challenge Cup” on Sunday.

But Kante will NOT be involved.

The Blues confirmed that they have brought injured players along on the trip to continue with their rehabilitation around their team-mates.

Kante, 31, is still recovering after undergoing an operation on his hamstring in October.

The Frenchman hasn’t played since sustaining the injury during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham on August 14.

He briefly returned to training at the start of October before suffering a setback, prompting the decision to go under the knife.

In addition to Kante – Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have travelled despite carrying injuries.

James, 22, is nearing a recovery after missing out on England’s World Cup squad because of a knee injury.

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While Chilwell missed out on Gareth Southgate’s squad with a hamstring issue.

Meanwhile, Fofana has a knee injury and Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been suffering with a calf issue.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marc Cucurella, Jorginho and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are among the senior players in what is a youthful travelling party.

Trevoh Chalobah is also set to be in action, having recently penned a new six-year contract.

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