Frank Lampard says Chelsea have taken a 'small step back' with N'Golo Kante

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said that the Blues have taken 'a small step back' with N'Golo Kante as they seek to put an end to his injury concerns.

The Frenchman has suffered multiple niggles since the start of the season and he is currently sidelined with an adductor problem picked up on international duty.

Kante has missed the last two games following the international break and Lampard has now revealed that Kante could be out for a lengthier period of time to completely overcome his fitness concerns.

"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 timeframe," he was quoted as saying by BT Sport.

In the absence of Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley have both featured in the centre of the park and one of the duo could feature against Burnley this weekend.

Barkley picked up an ankle injury during the 1-0 triumph over Newcastle United last weekend but Lampard has confirmed that he will return to training ahead of the Clarets encounter.