On Friday, N’Golo Kante returned to the pitch for Chelsea in a development squad friendly against Charlton Athletic.

He played for 60 minutes and helped secure a 3-0 victory with Dion Rankine, Silko Thomas, and Malik Mothersille all scoring goals.
Kante had returned to full first-team training earlier this month after suffering a significant hamstring injury that had kept him out of all but two games of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Chelsea head coach Graham Potter confirmed that Kante was set to take a significant step towards competitive action during the international break.
Post Nigeria gathered that, Potter had explained after the Everton game last Saturday that Kante was due to continue training during the week, potentially followed by a game to get some minutes.
Chelsea later confirmed that Kante played against Charlton in a behind-closed-doors friendly, as he continues his return to action.
Kante was named in a matchday squad for the first time since August 14, 2022, in the recent draw against Everton. While the midfield partnership of Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic has been strong, Chelsea is looking forward to seeing Kante back in action and potentially starting alongside their British record transfer soon.
The 31-year-old midfielder is also currently in contract extension talks with the club, and it seems likely that he will remain a Chelsea player beyond the summer.