Chelsea boss Graham Potter has admitted Chelsea trio N’Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell and Reece James endured a brutal time after missing the World Cup due to injury.

“‘It was a World Cup and they come around every four years. So when you’re young, the perspective is not so easy to get,” said the Chelsea manager.

“You are young and you want to play. That’s really understandable. It’s the same for Reece, Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante. It’s brutal really to have to deal with.

“You can try to help them and give them a bit of perspective but in the end it has to come from them, their families and those people close to them.

“I have to say he is in a good mood, he is in a good place. He has trained with us, is training well and is a good team-mate. He has dealt with it well.

“There is not too much you can say. You say it will get better with time and you have to focus on the things you can control. But there is nothing you can say to a player that will make it get better.

“He is missing the World Cup. What can I say? All I can do is acknowledge that it is upsetting, that whatever he is feeling is normal and help him move forwards.

“It was a challenging period for him. It was a challenging period for all the players. There were another 12 that are watching their team-mates and getting injured and missing the World Cup. You have to think on some level there is an effect there. They’re only human.”