N'Golo Kante has been a solid figure in Chelsea's midfield since he signed for the Premier League giants from Leicester City in the summer of 2016.

The Frenchman played 35 top-flight matches for the Blues last season and he had started all seven of the club's games in the 2017-18 campaign before he was struck with a hamstring injury.

The 26-year-old suffered the problem while on international duty with France and as a result missed last weekend's shock 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

[ad_pod id='leo-vegas']

Ahead of Saturday's early kickoff against Watford, manager Antonio Conte confirmed that Kante will play no part in the game and is not expected to return until the beginning of November.

The length of absence could have been much longer, so it is not all bad news for Chelsea fans, but understandably many are already missing the midfielder.

The Blues currently sit two points behind fourth-placed Watford after suffering back-to-back victories.

League leaders Manchester City have a nine-point advantage over the reigning champions.