Paul Merson thinks Frank Lampard might leave £30m Chelsea player out of his first game back

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Paul Merson predicts N’Golo Kante might not be in Frank Lampard’s side for his first game back at Chelsea.

Frank Lampard, who was sacked by Chelsea a couple of years ago, was rehired by the Blues this afternoon as their interim manager until the end of the season.

Lampard’s first game in charge is a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers this Saturday in the Premier League. Afterwards, it’s a huge showdown against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Click here to see our predicted line-up to face Wolves this weekend.

Ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Wolves, pundit Merson has suggested N’Golo Kante could miss out.

The 32-year-old midfielder was so good during Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday night. Bruno Saltor described Kante as “outstanding” after his midweek performance.

However, because of his recent long-term injury, Merson thinks Kante could be rested with an eye on the Real Madrid showdown.

“N’Golo Kante was brilliant against Liverpool. You wouldn’t have realised he was out for so long, would you? His return is like a new signing for Chelsea. I’m not sure they’ll play him against Wolves this week – they could save him for Real Madrid,” Merson told Sportskeeda.

We still expect Kante to get some minutes in his legs to help him build on the 70 minutes on Tuesday.

The £30million (BBC) Frenchman was making his first competitive start since mid-August, which is what made his masterclass against Liverpool even more impressive.

If the Blues are to pull off an upset against Madrid, they’ll need their midfield at their top levels.

A midfield trio of Kante, Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic is one good enough to compete against Madrid’s powerhouses.