N’Golo Kante missed Chelsea’s Wednesday training
Chelsea’s French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante was nowhere to be seen at training on Wednesday at Cobham.
Frank Lampard’s squad began phase one of training on Tuesday ahead of the hopeful return of the Premier League in June.
However, after Kante showed up for work on Tuesday – note: the midfielder revealed he’s now got hair! – Chelsea’s #7 was absent yesterday.
2020 takes another turn…
N’Golo Kanté has hair now 😮 pic.twitter.com/dHDn1Jj0K0
— 🇩🇪 Ja! Watch the Bundesliga live on BT Sport🇩🇪 (@btsportfootball) May 19, 2020
It’s widely reported in the papers today that Kante skipped training over his Covid-19 health concerns.
All of Chelsea’s players underwent testing this week for the virus, and all the test results came up negative.
Nevertheless, Kante has several concerns about returning to his day job. The Times report:
The France midfielder, 29, had a health scare in March 2018 when he passed out at the Chelsea training ground, though cardiology tests did not show any heart problems.
The Guardian also provide extra reasons why Kante skipped training, including:
– The 29-year-old is not convinced that it is safe to train while the UK remains in the grip of the pandemic.
– Kante’s elder brother Niamh died of a heart attack shortly before the 2018 World Cup and he lost his father when he was 11 years old.
When will Kante return to Chelsea training?
Nobody knows.
The Times confirm that Kante trained at home on Wednesday, and “it is unclear when he will return” to group training at Chelsea.
Of course, the longer Kante stays away from Chelsea, the more unlikely it is he’ll be ready to compete when the action restarts.
That said, it’s far too early to draw any conclusions on this matter.
Callum Hudson-Odoi also missed Chelsea training on Wednesday
One has to assume that it’s been one of the toughest weeks in Callum Hudson-Odoi’s life.
This week, the Chelsea and England winger has been arrested, and subsequently bailed, and accused of rape.
The 19-year-old appeared at Chelsea training on Tuesday. However, Hudson-Odoi was absent on Wednesday.
As confirmed in the Guardian, Hudson-Odoi missed training yesterday because he’s sick:
Callum Hudson-Odoi was also absent from Wednesday’s session after falling ill.
The winger’s condition is not related to coronavirus or his arrest last weekend. He has been prescribed a course of medication.
Watford defender reveals he’s Covid-19 positive
On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed the results of the first batch of Covid-19 testing.
6 people tested positive, while Watford later confirmed that one of their player’s had contracted the virus.
On Wednesday, 33-year-old Watford defender Adrian Mariappa confirmed he testes positive.
Mariappa was stunned to find out he’d turned up a positive result. He told the Telegraph:
Ever since I got my positive result back on Tuesday, I’ve been scratching my head to try to work out how I might have got coronavirus.
I’ve not had any symptoms and I’ve felt as fit as ever, probably fitter because I’ve been working really hard.
It’s quite scary how you can feel absolutely fine and not really have left the house, and yet still get the virus.
Adrian Mariappa was the Watford player to test positive for coronavirus. Exclusive interview with him here: https://t.co/UoqN5rUJuH
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) May 20, 2020
Staying with Watford, there are widespread reports that some of the club’s players are steering clear of training right now.
Watford captain Troy Deeny have been vocal in his opposition to returning to work during the pandemic.
Thursday’s TIMES Sport: “Worried stars stay away as Watford train” #BBCPapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/EvDc8oZX8U
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) May 20, 2020
Thursday’s GUARDIAN Sport: “Staying at home” #BBCPapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/XitIMUjhAc
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) May 20, 2020
Also see: Best Netflix, Amazon & YouTube football documentaries & movies to watch during coronavirus isolation
9 best football documentaries to watch on ESPN+ during COVID-19 quarantine
