Chelsea injury updates: Kanté showing good signs, Hudson-Odoi ahead of schedule

After Sunday’s 4-3 friendly win over Reading, Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has added a couple bits of good news as well, providing injury updates on N’Golo Kanté and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Kanté was sent back early to London from Japan, after it was determined that he would be better served by staying in Cobham than by continuing to travel with the team. So far, that plan is having the anticipated effect, with Kanté spotted back in first-team training yesterday. He’s not quite a full participant yet, but Lampard remains hopeful that he will be ready for the season’s start in two weeks.

“I am hopeful he will be ready. He’s dipped into training with us in the last couple of days. There’s still a lot more he needs to do physically without us, that he can do without contact, which has been good.

“But the signs are good in the last three days since we’ve been back. It was certainly the right decision for him to come back and get the treatment he had. I would expect him to be training through the week with us to the point where at the start of next week he is fully training.”

Hudson-Odoi, too, has been recovering at Cobham all summer, following surgery on his torn achilles. While his contractual situation still hangs in the balance, his recovery actually appears to be going ahead of schedule.

“He’s not training with us yet but the injury is coming on well. He is ahead of schedule. I get scared of saying [it] but from the first diagnosis he’s ahead of schedule.

”But there will be a period for Callum where his injury is fine and then he needs to get fit to play in this team because it will be demanding with the way I want to play, from front to back. He’s not far away and I know he’s done everything he can to be fit through the summer and the medical team have been very good. We’re getting close.”

- Frank Lampard; source: Goal

Keeping with the positive theme, there’s even a small update from @CarefreeYouth on the progress of Reece James, who’s apparently now out of the ankle cast he’s worn since his surgery.

That’s three doses of positivity to brighten your day!