N’Golo Kante will be sidelined for at least another month, according to Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel.

On August 14, Kante suffered a hamstring injury and had to be taken off during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Frenchman would spend a number of weeks in the treatment room, according to Tuchel’s earlier comments on the subject.

But 12 days after Kante’s injury, Tuchel told reporters at a press conference that a player he calls “important” will be out for at least a further four weeks.

Tuchel said: “We are talking about weeks, talking about four weeks plus. I think that I told you at the end of last season that he is our key player normally, that he gives something to our team that no other player in the world can give to another team.

“That makes him a key player. If your key player is out, it is a situation that you don’t like and have to deal with, but it has huge influence, of course.”

Mateo Kovacic has not played a single minute of this season owing to a knee problem, making him not the only midfielder to miss time with the team.

But according to Tuchel, the Croatian will be able to participate in Saturday’s Premier League match against Leicester City for “20 minutes.”

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