Chelsea boss Antonio Conte hopes N’Golo Kante’s development into one of the best players in the Premier League will rub off onto team-mate and compatriot Tiemoue Bakayoko.

The 23-year-old was signed by Conte from Monaco for a fee of around £40m during the summer. After he signed, Matic was sold to Manchester United, meaning the Frenchman all of a sudden had big boots to fill.

N’Golo Kante has probably been the best midfielder in the league over the past two seasons, winning two league titles in as many years. His rise to stardom has been incredible to say the least, but last season the boss did not stop short of criticising the midfielder, consistently pointing out weaknesses in the Frenchman’s game. However, Conte has now hailed Kante as one of the most complete players, and has challenged Bakayoko to follow in his fellow countryman’s footsteps and up his game.

“Last season I said during many press conferences about N’Golo that he could improve a lot with the ball,” said Conte. “He’s working very hard to improve this weakness.”

“But I think now he’s a complete player – he’s a top player with the ball, without the ball. He always knows when he has the ball what he has to do.”

“Baka without the ball is a really strong player, a physical player. He can improve a lot with the ball. We are working a lot on this aspect with him.”

“We try to play with an identity and if you want to give an identity to your team, every single player needs to know very well your idea of football. To have in your team a powerful player is very important, above all in this league.”

[Quotes via Sky Sports]