Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante earned the compliments from French media outlets following a strong performance for France last night.
Le Blues were held 1-1 with Ukraine during their opening World Cup qualifying fixture yesterday evening.
Kante had carried over his fine form for Chelsea onto the international scene, and his efforts were picked up by journalists over in France.
Foot Mercato said the 29-year-old was ‘The man of the match’.
They also wrote: “With a large volume of play and desire until the final whistle, the number 13 chained the kilometers to come and recover the ball high enough on the lawn.
“He also lost very little since he played very simple with the ball, with one or two touches of the ball. Another big match for Kante.”
The summary of his display was almost a carbon copy of what Blues fans have been witnessing over the past few months.
That endless amount of energy has been a theme throughout Kante’s career, but a strength that’s been hampered in recent years.
Injuries have been the crux of this problem.
He missed large chunks of last season through hamstring and muscle problems, issues that have rolled over into this term.
However, thanks to Thomas Tuchel’s more cautious approach, Kante looks free of his injury demons.
Didier Deschamps might not take the same approach when plotting his national team’s approach.
Chelsea’s mini-midfielder played all 90 minutes for France against Ukraine but could be offered a rest when they face Kazakhstan on Sunday.