Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that N’Golo Kante is out of action for an undefined period after the Frenchman suffered a series of injuries at the start of the season.

The 27-year-old is currently sidelined with a groin problem but he has also had ankle and knee issues to contend with this campaign, and Lampard thinks the midfielder needs an extended period of rest:

“I think now it is time to take a small step back just to get his fitness up and be confident that we won’t have a domino effect with small injuries. So, there’s no actual time frame [on his return].”

Needless to say, Kante has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against Manchester United, with five other players also currently on the treatment table.

The closest to making his comeback is Ross Barkley. The midfielder injured his ankle in the 1-0 win over Newcastle but Lampard said before the game against Burnley that he should be back in contention this week.

Antonio Rudiger is believed to be a week or two away from making his return from a groin injury so the United game is likely to come too soon for him.

It’s a similar situation for Andreas Christensen. The Danish international picked up a hamstring problem on international duty earlier this month but could be back for the weekend. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Achilles) and Marco van Ginkel remain unavailable.