ANKARA

French midfielder N'Golo Kante has been ruled out of the World Cup after Chelsea said he is expected to be sidelined for four months following surgery on a hamstring injury.

“The midfielder visited a specialist with the club’s medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N’Golo to have surgery to repair the damage,” the English club said on Tuesday.

The 2018-World-Cup-winner French midfielder joined Chelsea in 2016 from Leicester City and has been an integral part of the Blues ever since.